To Break Thy Chains and Cycles
by WiseSilver
Summary: Thought dead, Harry Potter reappears out of the Veil of Death, aged and far more powerful then before. After defeating Voldemort, Harry turns to his training under the Sith Lord Revan to conquer the Earth and spread humanity out into the Stars. However he discovers that Humanity is not alone in this Galaxy and that an even darker evil than any Sith exsits. Harry x Fleur/ Grey Harry
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hello and Welcome to my newest story "To Break Thy Chains and Cycles". This is a Harry Potter, Star Wars and Mass effect Crossover in which Harry Potter went through the Veil after his Godfather Sirius Black during the OOTP. A Year later he reappeared as physically the same age as when he went through but with the mentality of one years older. During his time away he had become the student of Revan and studied under him and Kreia in both the Star Forge and the Trayus Academy, where later he faced his death when Darth Malak betrayed his Master. This stroy takes place two hundred years later, where Harry has become Emperor of the new Infinite Empire. This is a Grey Harry, there will be dark moments along with light. There will also not be any harems, Harry in this is a one gal kinda guy. **

**I owe inspiration of this story to Darth Marrs and his story "Broken Chains" Which I highly recommend to any who read this. **

**The Actual story leading up to this and Harry's rise to power will be written at a later date once I can work out exactly what I wish to happen during the events of the his rise. For now I will be giving into the temptation of a action packed story filled with the awesomeness of Starwars, the magic of the Harry Potter universe and the fun of utterly throwing the Mass Effect universe into chaos. I hope any who read this will enjoy the story as much as I will enjoy writing it. **

**I do not own Harry Potter, Star Wars, or Mass Effect... Sadly. Now onto the beginnings of my little story! **

Prologue: The Infinite Empire

A dark figure stood still as stone as he gazed out into the depths of space. His emerald eyes shone in the dark lighting as he watched the stars far off in the distance, millions of parsecs from where he stood. His gaze was resolute, but soft and wise as one who had lived far beyond the years that his apparent youth belied. All around him the Bridge crew went about their duties, many out right ignoring his presence as a common occurrence; others made side long glances filled with awe. To the casual observer he didn't appear far over thirty years old, his messy black hair made him appear even younger. He wasn't the tallest of men, but his aura rang with the sense of power beyond the norms of his kin. His dark uniform appeared to be much the same as the other officers, except for the half cloak that hung from his shoulders, leaving the silver shoulder plate visible on his right side and the left side of his body hidden in folds of shadows. His right hand rested on the silver cylindrical object which hung attached to his belt, whilst his left sat securely across the small of his back.

Many upon the Bridge pondered upon his thoughts as he stared off literally into space, his eyes still as the stars that shone in through the observation deck. Though one would take note of the blue orb that his eyes seemed to be focused upon, its beauty unparalleled as it drifted through the solar winds of space whilst on its solar cycle. The object of his attention was Earth, his home world, the center of what many claimed to be the most powerful force in the Galaxy. The Infinite Empire of Man.

Behind the dark figure, another approached the center of the observation deck of the ships Bridge. He wore the black uniform of a officer, rust orange boulder plates adorned his uniform and a three red lines of his rank adorned his breast. His walk was steady as his hands, which held a glowing data pad and if one paid careful attention, they would notice a holster on his wrist and see just a hint of a wooden stick within its confines. The officer had bright blonde hair which was uniformly cut short and straight, his broad shoulders made him appear larger than he was and his blue eyes were locked onto the caped figure before him. A cough broke the silence.

"My Lord..." The caped Lord turned his head slightly, bringing the officer into view, his emerald eyes piercing in their curiosity.

"How can I be of service today, Admiral?" Was the slow, steady reply. The Admiral stood firm beneath the withering attention of his Lord, many years of working under him had proven that he was merely human to the Admiral long ago. A few taps upon the data pad and a nod later the Admiral spoke.

"The Fortieth Scout Flotilla has reported sightings of another... Relay." The sneer upon the mention of the object was just barely contained by Admiral Holmes as his glanced once more upon the image on his data pad. His Lord merely cocked an eyebrow at this proclamation, his curiosity awoken as to why this would be reported to him. For two hundred years Humanity has been amongst the stars, she now held hundreds of colonies, the expansive Empire controlled and organized by the massive fleets commissioned by Humanities' Emperor. But one constant that they noticed upon reaching the stars were series of pre-placed Relays, which would have guided any space faring species into relaying upon their networks. Humanity neither needed this luxury nor would it use such frivolous means to transverse the stars. So throughout the two hundred years of space travel and exploration, Humanity left the relays alone, leaving them inactive within their territories but closely monitored. In fact the one found at the very edge of the Sol System had been moved deep into the dark space between the various clusters leading into the Local Cluster. So the green eyes of the Human lord gazed at the offered data pad with more than just object curiosity.

"What makes this Relay so special it must be brought to my attention?" His voice came out in a well mannered drawl, soft and well practiced.

"Well it appears my Lord, that this Relay is active." This causes the Lord's eyebrows to rise just so slightly in surprise. Since the discovery of Element Zero and the Relays, none have ever been discovered activated. There had been tests done upon them, but in the end it was determined by Imperial researchers that Hyperspace was a far better mode of transportation and that it would allow them to spread unhindered whilst the Relays would force them into the constraints of the Relay network. This, the Emperor decided, was a fools game and ordered all Relays deactivated and carefully monitored.

The Emperor now looked upon the image of a active and fully functioning Relay and just as before when he came upon one, he could feel the echoes within the Force screaming out to him. It all came down to one feeling, Fear. The green eyed, messy haired Emperor knew fear like a brother and he knew when it was telling him that there was danger afoot. The fact that just this image of an active Relay was causing the Force to echo out from it made the hair on the back of his neck stand out and his spine to stiffen.

"Where was this discovered Admiral?" His green eyes suddenly locked upon the blue of the officer before him. The Bridge was eerily silent as the officers felt the disturbance coming off their beloved Emperor.

"The Fortieth discovered it while scouting a detected garden world on the edge of the Exodus Cluster, My Lord. It shocked the Commander of the Flotilla as well, I assure you." Holmes said dryly. The Emperor chuckled lightly at the attempt at humor.

"Holmes, we have known each other for how long now?" The Emperor cocked an eyebrow, his lips twitching upward. The Admiral let out a long suffering sigh.

"Over thirty years, Potter. Each and everyone has been... A spectacular pleasure." The Admiral's eyes flashed with dark humor, causing the Emperor to chuckle humorously.

"Yes, and you remind me of your bastard of a grandfather more so every day. Shame his name died with him all those years ago, you would have made a wonderful Snape." Severus Holmes merely chuckled dryly having heard this proclamation many times in the past.

"Now if you would be so kind my Lord, I would like to return to the matter at hand before I turn fifty..." The two now eyeing each other familiarly before the Emperor chuckled and nodded.

"But of course, what measures have been taken Admiral?" Harry now fully focused upon the data pad once more, reaching out with the Force in the hopes of finding some wisdom upon its shores.

"The Fortieth has remained in position in system and I have taken the liberty in ordering the Seventy-first out of the Voyeur Cluster to secure the system in their stead." Harry nodded and scrolled down the screen before answering.

"Good, they should be able to handle anything that might come out of that bloody thing. I also want the Fifth Research Flotilla to make way to their location; they are between assignments at the moment and should be able to change enroute." Holmes nodded and waved his hand slightly.

"Tempus." Before him the time and date appeared in blue wavering letters '12:46pm, December 15th 2199'. With another nod he bowed slightly to Emperor Harry Potter of the Infinite Empire and spoke.

"By your leave, my Lord I shall attend to your orders. Give my best to Fleur." Admiral Severus Holmes turned about smartly and calmly walked across the Bridge of the Veil, the Emperor's Flagship and left through the large blast doors on the other side of the active Bridge.

Once more alone with his thoughts, Harry ran a hand through his hair and continued to search the Force for answers and when he couldn't find any, he knew that a new challenge lay ahead for his beautiful Empire.

"Well Revan, I hope you are happy. Nothing can ever be easy..."

**AN: Thank you for reading the First chapter. Updates may be slow do to classes, work and lack of inspiration. I shall work hard at updating somewhat ****regularly. Review if you like, and if you have any cool ideas for what I can do later, I always appreciate the candor! I do however reserve the right to ignore and otherwise write this story as I see fit regardless of what a reviewer might say or suggest. Thank you again and may the Force be with you... Always~ **

**WiseSilver **


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hello again! To say I am shocked by the response to this story is a true understatement. I thank you all for your reviews and attention. Now on with the show! **

**After seeing the response I was down right giddy with ****excitement and couldn't wait to tackle the next chapter! This is still technically apart of the prologue so don't expect heavy characterization quite yet. But I do have the pleasure to introduce two of the major OCs that will play their role in this story as well as to continue with some well placed world building. Some of the questions asked will be answered and others will come later, I assure you. I have decided that there will be several major Mass Effect characters involved in this story and I am sure you will approve of my choices, though that will be revealed in later chapters as well. As for the ship questions, the Infinite Empire uses mainly ****Ancient Sith battle ships, mainly those used by Darth Revan during the Jedi Civil War. But several lesser Star Destroyers shall be featured as well.**

**I do not own Harry Potter, Star Wars or Mass Effect... Sadly. So without further ado! Enjoy the next chapter~ **

* * *

Admirals and Enforcers

Voyeur Cluster

High Orbit over Garden World Revin V

Seventy-First Fleet

* * *

Revin V was not a large world; its importance was not so much in political means but more in material. It was a farm world and fed much of the surrounding sector. Thus was why the Seventy-first was currently in orbit. This was just one of the few stops it made during its patrol of the Voyeur Cluster and was a fleet favorite for its low tech towns and beautiful scenery.

One man in particular enjoyed gazing down upon the planet below. He wore a uniform much like his many counter parts, black pants, knee high leather boots, black uniform shirt and rust orange shoulder plates. Upon his breast sat two red bars, denoting him as a lower rank Admiral. What set him apart however was his hair and ancestry; his long red hair fell down around his shoulders, tied back so as not to distract him.

"Admiral Weasley. We have just received a message asking for permission to board." Admiral Timothy Weasley, great grandson of Ronald Weasley turned and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh and to whom do I have the honor?" The Bridge officer looked down at his data pad and paled.

"Umm... Admiral, we just got clearance codes for an Imperial Enforcer." The already silent bridge crew froze in their places as the news echoed from the spooked communications officer. Timothy let out a strangled sigh and walked pasted the officer.

"Give permission for her to land, LT. And while you are at it, send orders for a squad to meet me down in the main hanger bay. Honor guard duty." The communication officer nodded subduedly and went about his task, as the Admiral made his way off the Bridge.

He stood within his private elevator, watching as the floors flew by, destined towards the main hanger bay and his personal platform. He wasn't afraid of the Enforcer, he was in good standing with the Emperor after all, but they were rarely ever good news and could only hope that her visit would be painless.

* * *

On the outskirts of the system a flash of light occurred as a small fighter came out of hyperspace, its V shaped hull formed around the single person cockpit. Upon its hull was the red emblem of the Empire, a circle in which a representation of the Star Forge sat within. However, in this galaxy it was known as the Imperial Shield. The vessel unlocked its S-foils and made way towards the main colony of the system, with hopes of docking with the flagship of the Seventy-first. After receiving clearance the silver vessel entered the fleet's perimeter, bypassing the large blue-silver Victory Class Cruisers and the even larger beak shaped Sith Interdictor Capitalships. The pilot of the silver vessel smiled to herself as a squadron of Sith interceptors formed an escort around her. Shortly thereafter she approached tracker beam range of the Red Spirit, the ironically blue flagship of the Seventy-first. She sat back in her chair and waited as her vessel was pulled into the gaping maw of the main hanger bay.

* * *

Admiral Weasley stood at attention along with forty other Sith soldiers. He glanced twice up and down the lines, each soldier stood at attention; each had their blaster rifle at the ready and their wands at their backs. Unlike the original Sith soldiers, these wore a rusted orange colored armor which covered their entire bodies. The armor had strategically placed runes, which glowed just slightly, even if unnoticed in the well let hanger platform. Instead of insect like helms, theirs was face fitting, the only openings were two glowing red eye slits, which made up their visors. The Admiral's attention was drawn away from his soldiers to the quickly approaching vessel. He had seen many of its kind before, the Imperial Enforcer, a specialized one manned fighter was the trademark of the Imperial Enforcers from which the vessel received its name. He had always compared it to a thorn, the way the V shaped hull slowly built up from a single point until it reached the engines in the rear, the sight of one always sent a shiver down his spine.

He slowly walked forward as the vessel landed in front of the honor guard, the cockpit sliding back to reveal the helmed pilot. He was half way through the lines when he felt the first touch of the Allure. His step faltered for just a moment before he straightened his shoulders once more and approached the exiting agent, watching as she jumped out of the cockpit and landed on one knee. He however, did not fail to notice that the honor guard had stiffened as they fought the Allures affects as well as the showcasing of ability far beyond a normal human.

After what felt like an eternity, he came to a stop in front of the Imperial Enforcer. His eyes took her in as they were supposed to; she had long silver blonde hair and crystal grey eyes. Her skin seemed to give up a slight glow, which he knew was her aura, her Allure. This was why many did not enjoy a visit from an Imperial Enforcer. For all of them were from a race called the Veela, a magical subspecies of humanity which gave off an aura of desire, sexual or otherwise. All Veela were female and over the centuries their Allure had evolved to affect both males and females, which explained why the female honor guards were just as tense as the male.

Timothy would be the first to admit that standing in the presence of an Enforcer was more than a little off putting but either way he bowed in greeting, quickly pulling upon his occlumency shields.

"My Lady, I am Admiral Timothy Weasley. It is a pleasure to have one of the Emperor's personal servants aboard my ship." The Veela smiled sweetly though it did not reach her eyes. With a flick of her hair she returned the bow. She wore a form fitting silver dress, which had black armor plates covering her vital areas. Upon her shoulders were two red armor plates, with the Imperial Emblem painted on. Timothy could not help but notice the two cylindrical hilts that hung from her black belt, knowing full well what they meant.

"And it is a pleasure to be here Admiral. But I suggest that we skip the pleasantries and move to a secure location. I have been sent with orders from the Emperor." She strutted past him quickly, heading straight for the elevator only stopping to allow the startled Admiral time to catch up.

"B-But of course, I shall have my personal conference room prepared!" He quickly joined her in the waiting elevator and with a wave of his hand, it began to speed upwards. With a long breath, the Admiral again turned to the Veela.

"I am afraid I did not catch you name...?" Timothy asked politely.

"I am afraid in my haste I forgot to give it to you, Admiral. You may refer to me as Scarlet." She smiled at him sweetly, this time it did touch her eyes which sparkled humorously.

"Well Scarlet, I insist that you refer to me as Timothy then." He smiles in return, though he had trouble deciding if it was because of the Allure or if he was being friendly in return. With a mental shrug he hoped it was the latter. They passed the rest of the ride up to the bridge sector in comfortable silence. They were both upper class members of the Empire and had very little to fear from the other. Their fears lay beyond the Empire after all.

* * *

"So what can the Seventy-First battle fleet do for the Emperor today, Agent Scarlet?" Timothy asked a few minutes later as the doors slide shut behind them, the two entering his private conference room. He turned to her as he came up behind his seat. She took up position behind the chair on the opposite side of the table.

"What is the current status of the fleet, Admiral?" Her presence once more became all business.

"We are fully fueled, our rations are fully stocked as of two days ago and as of yesterday all shore leave has ended. We are prepared to leave upon the morrow to continue on with our patrol of the sector." He gave her a piercing look.

"I am assuming that we won't be continuing our patrol then, Agent Scarlet?" She slowly nodded and with a wave of her hand activated the holograph table. A holographic representation of the entire sector appeared in the center of the table. Two specific markers caught his attention. One he knew represented his fleet within the Voyeur Cluster and the other he assumed to be their target destination.

"No you will not be. Since you are the largest fleet in the sector the Emperor has ordered for you to abandon your current patrol and move into the recently colonized Exodus Cluster. It is here that a fully active Relay has been discovered." The sector chart blinked out of existence and was replaced with a chart of the system he assumed was his destination. Within it he could see four planets, an asteroid field, in which the Fortieth Scout Flotilla had taken up defensive positions, and finally his attention settled upon the Relay on the edge of the system.

"A fully active Relay? As in already active when the system was reconned?" His eyes widened at the implications. He quickly studied the layout of the scout flotilla and the position of the garden world in relation to it.

"Have we colonized that world yet as well?" Scarlet shook her head in the negative.

"The Relay was active when the Fortieth arrived in system, they didn't report until after they confirmed the readings. And no the garden world was merely the reason why the system was of interest to begin with. As you can see, this is a matter of the up-most importance." She said gravely and he couldn't help but nod in return. He was a laid back person but even he knew that this was important, more than important. This could be the beginnings of a true First contact. Humanities very first contact with another living sentient race beyond their home world. It sent shivers down his spine.

"Alright, a scout fleet isn't truly meant for combat, at least not on the scale we might see from an active Relay. I can see why we are being called in." He continued to study the system chart, planning out where to place each piece of his defense. For he knew that was what he was doing, defending.

"The Emperor needs the Seventy-First in system in the next three days, in four the Fifth Research Flotilla will be entering the system to determine how long it has been active and hopefully shut it down." Timothy could tell just how worried she was, and that certainly worried him.

"I am assuming that your fear has to do with the Force?" Even if he could not wield it, he knew of it. All citizens of the Empire were tested and educated on the Force and on Magic. While he could not touch the Force, he could however wield Magic. As far as he was concerned that was enough. Besides, seeing the look on the Veela's face, he might not have any desire to touch it. That was one thing that made the Veela so valuable to the Emperor; they were the only humans that were able to wield both Magic and the Force, one hundred percent of the time. Apparently the Force was the source of their Allure.

"Yes, the Relays have always been a source of... Anxiety for those of us who are sensitive to the Force. This entire situation is sending echoes through the Force and it worries me." He nodded at her honesty, and appreciated it, since she did not have to tell him.

"Well then, I shall send out orders for the Fleet to prepare for the jump to hyperspace. Hopefully over a hundred ships of the line will be enough to assuage the Force of its worry." His smile grew as he pushed his hair back from his neck to better showcase his smile. She smiled in return and nodded in appreciation for his confidence.

"I agree, the Seventy-First should be more than good enough to calm one's worry."

* * *

**AN: Well I hope you enjoyed this and as you can see things are moving along quite nicely. I am not sure when I will have the time to write the next chapter but I will be sure to get it out in the next few days. Also if anyone is willing to offer their services, I would be happy to converse with a fellow writer and brandy ideas around since I find inspiration in conversation and while I have good idea of what the next few chapters will look like, I do not as of yet have a firm view of what will occur in the long term. So please review, I love good ideas and love to hear people's thoughts as it will fuel my own thought processes. Though as always I reserve the right to ignore any review and continue on as I see fit! Thanks again!**

**WiseSilver **


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hello once again! I am glad to announce that the next chapter is ready and edited a full two days earlier than expected! Yay free time and boredom! Anyway, this is one of the long chapters I've written in years and will probably only hold that record until i write the next chapter, so enjoy the awesome story building. As you might have guessed, this is still the prologue. We won't be getting into the first arc of the story (The Citadel Conquest) for another couple of chapters. This is mostly story building and a bunch of action towards the end. Also I tired to find a more original First Contact scenario so be sure to tell me what you think! Also the first Codex entries shall start at the bottom of this chapter!**

**Also a good song to listen to while reading everything after the second scene is Victory Of Life, its on YouTube and its the song I listen to when trying to write something epic!~ **

**I do not own Harry Potter, Star Wars or Mass Effect... Sadly. Enjoy the read! **

* * *

Secrets and News

Earth, Sol System, Local Cluster, 1st Sector.

December 15th, 2199

British Principality

Many who have left Earth still claim that few things could ever compare to a beautiful day beneath the sun. No matter the planet they have settled or the space they have explored, the children of Earth will always miss their home. Though this was not to say that Earth was empty, millions still call it home, one family in fact never even entertained the thought of leaving.

The Mason family had long called the small village of Ottery St. Catchpole their home. It was a small hamlet in Devon, England and over the centuries has been the home to many a famous clan. The newest of which made history a mere two hundred years ago. Though the Lovegood family died with its last daughter, its blood still runs strong in her decedents.

Luna Lovegood had returned to her home at the age of Thirty-eight, around the same time that calls for Harry Potter to take a more active role in government were sweeping the world, both magical and mundane. Unlike the many who supported his war against Tom Riddle and his rise in both political and economic power, Luna merely wished to return to her family's home and forget the horrors of the war and the increasing responsibilities that Harry was putting onto his closest friends. After being promised that her family would always be treasured by Harry, she left his presence for the last time until her deathbed sixty years later.

Upon her return she would meet a young man, only a few years younger than her who ran the local home builders company. After asking him for help rebuilding her home, despite him being non-magical, spent the next few months in his presence. Eventually they married and she left her maiden name behind for the name Mason. They had two sons and a daughter, all of which chose to remain on Earth when the call for colonists went out.

Two generations later, a young girl with bright blonde hair and perky eyes much like her great grandmother's, was enjoying a beautiful winter day. Her name was Luna Mason and like her grandmother before her she was a witch and once more like her grandmother, she held an even more special gift.

Luna laughed as she crashed through the tall grass, yet to be flattened by the winter snow that was sure to come. But for now long stretches of grain wavered in the wind, undisturbed but for a energetic little girl. She wore a simple white dress, which hung to the small lithe frame of a nine year old and protected her legs from barbs and thickets. She rushed past the Whomping Willow forests that marred and protected the lands surrounding her home, as silently as possible. There was no need for her to waken the denizens of the magical wood after all. Her destination was a secret spot, a place where she could be alone and run free.

The little girl soon came to the end of that particular stretch of grass and found herself faced with the largest of the Whomping Willow woods, the dark canopy hiding the mass over girth of the man killing tree, and with a small laugh dove into them. She jump over branches and wiggled beneath roots, taking great care not to disturb the great trees or alert the dangerous magical creatures that lived within.

After what seemed like forever to the small child's mind, she entered a small grove, her secret spot. The grove was actually the resting place of an ancient lake, which had finally been drained hundreds of years ago; the only evidence to that fact was the pond and stream that ran through its center. With a bound, Luna finally laughed freely, her musical laughter soothing to the more peaceful magical trees that inhabited the grove. She jumped upon a rock which overlooked the pond and with a single movement, tore off her dress and in her bare knickers dove into the pond. A few short minutes later she floated in the water, giggling as the playful undines nipped at her arms and legs, she watched the sun play upon the shifting leaves over head.

Unbeknownst to little Luna, but an important discovery was being made that day. An already active Relay had been found thousands of light years away, though this event would touch her in ways none would understand for years yet. Once discovered a shockwave was sent through the force, a massive disturbance which would affect many people, most force sensitive, some not.

In an entirely different galaxy that disturbance would awaken a small creature, who sat in the middle of a conference between the council of his peers at the top of one of the tallest towers on the city wide planet, though he did not know what this disturbance meant he did know that it would one day affect them all.

Once the disturbance reach young Luna, as she floated in the pond which happened to be located in one of the most powerful leylines of the planet Earth, her eyes went wide as shockwaves ravaged her body. Her eyes glowed bright silver despite their usual brown color, and her mouth opened as if in its own accord. The words she would speak would not be her own, but instead the very thoughts of the Force, the voice of creation, magic given life.

"_Two worlds, two minds, both born to fight the blight. One to destroy an ancient Light, the other to fend off an ancient Blight. Two worlds filled with strife, both shall find peace but both shall come together. The first, ruled by one filled with Darkness and the need to control as he sees fit. The second empowered by the one who saves and protects with his Iron Fist. Infinity is threatened as the Shadows move to devour, his choice, his Will shall sour. But for Infinity to persist, the two worlds must cease to exist." _

She would later return home, her prophecy unknown to all but a device, as misunderstood as it is ancient. Beneath the city of London, within the depths of the old Ministry of Magic building, now a mall and transport center, a small white orb came to life and set back down into its holder. A new recording that would go unnoticed and would not be found for many years yet.

* * *

Hyperspace, in route to [{Restricted Information}]

The Veil, the Emperor's Flagship

December 17, 2199

Boots echoed off the durasteel hallways as Harry Potter, the Emperor of the Infinite Empire, made his way through the bowels of his personal flagship at a leisurely pace. He wore black knee high boots, black pants which were tucked into said boots, his cloak flared around him in a way that might remind him of an old Potions professor. His black uniform dress shirt was firmly pressed but was light enough that he could fight freely wearing it, upon his breast sat an infinity symbol in the place of a rank or medal. This had been given to him by his Consort as a present upon his ascension to the Imperial throne and to this day made him smile when he saw it in a reflection. He was on the way to the War Room, a room in the center of the Veil made for the express purpose of allowing him to be up to date on all the information and events taking place within his meticulously built Empire. It also severed as one of the most advanced communication rooms within the Empire, allowing him to hold council anywhere within the range of the Empire's Holo-net and send out orders even if he was within the confines of hyperspace. In a few hours they would be dropping out of hyperspace and he wanted the daily update to be done before then. Besides, there was a particular situation he wanted to keep his eye on.

Using the Force to open the door, which had become a regular security precaution which made use of magical runes to detect Force signatures, he strode in and made way to center of the room. Upon his entrance the light chatter taking place between the various Comms officers died and they stood and bowed in respect to their leader. Harry waved them off causally as he looked upwards.

Held in suspension above the declined center of the room, hovered a detailed holographic map. Updated in real time, using his Omnitool, Harry could select and go over each place and event of interest within his Empire and without. Not bothering to speak to any of the busy officers, all of which keep the room updated and in working order for their Emperor, Harry studied the map in interest. With a cough he inclined his head towards one such spot within the Empire.

"Someone give me an update on the situation in Santori VI." One of the officers looked up, having already been going over the reports.

"My Lord, the Jedi assigned to the planet are still in the middle of their investigation but by all reports it appears that the Red Court was attempting to gain a foot hold there. There has already been evidence of vampiric magic and more than a few citizens have been found drained of blood. The bodies were burned before they could become true thralls however." Harry nodded carefully and digested the information. One of the many problems his Empire faced was insurrection. There were four types of insurrectionists that the Empire categorized in normal times. Mundane, Vampiric, Magical and Force users. The mundane insurrectionists were typically just pirates and those foolish enough to attempt to gain power outside of the Empire. Typically by finding and attempting to take over a newly colonized world. That was one problem that was dealt quickly with by Imperial forces and something that did not occur often due to the high moral of the Empire's people. The magical and Force user insurrectionists were a smaller concern but no less deadly. Dark Wizards and rogue Force users were illegal and were quickly hunted down before they could climb in power. This was usually handled by the Jedi forces within the Empire. The Jedi were trained magic and Force users who specialized in civilian issues. They were trained in mainly light side techniques for healing, detection and capture.

The final insurrectionists threat was one that was caused by a personal vendetta held by the Emperor. Vampires were the only magical race that was completely outlawed and hunted down without fair trial within the Empire. Mainly due to the fact that they were immortal, could spread quickly and were extremely hard to deal with outside of magical and Force using authorities. The largest group of vampires within the Empire was known as the Red Court. Mostly they were focused on the survival and spread of vampiric kind within and outside of the Empire if possible.

Harry let loose a long suffering sigh, when he had first declared Vampires illegal and hunted down he had hoped that the problem would be death with quickly but even with the surprise that he had on his side, many vampires had escaped his genocide. He would have none but his chosen hold the gift of longevity and the vampires, like the goblins before them, refused to submit to his rule. He would not permit it.

"Send word to my Hand and have an Enforcer sent to cover the issue. If the Court thinks it can gain a foot hold on Santori than I wish them proved mistaken." The order sent out, Harry turned his attention to another area of interest.

"How is the outfitting of the 510th coming along? Is their Sith detachment prepared yet?" Another of the officers answered him quickly, calling up the latest reports.

"My Lord, the 510th battle fleet should be prepared for active duty within the next three months, as of right now they are actually two and half weeks ahead of schedule." Harry nodded, pleased, while the officer called up another report.

"The Sith detachment you ordered from the Sector academy has begun shipping out and the full detachment of one thousand trained Sith should be getting familiar with their new home over the next three weeks." Harry nodded in appreciation for the swiftness of his military. But he had long made it clear that things would be rule as efficiently as possible, he refused to allow slow bureaucracy that had plagued Earth before his ascension to Emperor to plague him and like hell would he suffer another Republic. His people deserved to be guarded by the best, not the most well paid couch potatoes. Thus he had created the Sith. Magic and Force users who served the military as commanders and elite soldiers, they were trained for quick decisions, well thought out orders and to be downright ruthless upon the field of battle. Unlike their civilian counter parts, the Jedi, they were trained in battle techniques and the use of dark magics and the dark side of the force. The risks inherent with that were offset by heavy mental training as well as loyalty oaths to uphold the Empire and follow the orders of the Emperor and those that Harry placed in charge of them. If they stepped out of line or lost control they would be put down quickly by his personal Enforcers.

"Good, I have the distinct feeling that the 510th will be sorely needed in the months to come." The officer nodded and made personal note to insure that the outfitting of the fleet would be egged on to the best of his abilities. The people lived to serve the Emperor after all and he would serve him to his best. Harry quickly turned his attention to that which had held his attention for the last couple of days.

"How is the situation in the AR system coming along?" He had named the system temporarily, AR or Active Relay to better keep track of it within his daily update. The officer from before looked up again, suspecting his Emperor would ask after this after the details of Santori VI.

"Nothing has changed my Lord. The 71st left two days ago from Revin V and should be in system around the same time we come out of hyperspace ourselves. However there was a report filed by the Fifth Research Fleet, informing us that they will actually be in system sooner than believed. Anytime within the next couple of hours." Harry nodded slowly and continued to go over the various reports and updates until he felt it pertinent to retire. With a swish of his cape, he ordered that he be awakened if anything of immediately importance comes up.

* * *

Unknown System, Traverse

Late evening December 17, 2199

Turian Cruiser Insurgent Justice

General Darius Veros was not a happy Turian. He had been sent on a routine mission to flush out a series of slavers that had taken up shop within Council space. This of course was unacceptable and the Asari Councilor had immediately called for a fleet to force the slavers out and destroy their base.

He himself had just returned from a two year patrol of the Terminus/Council borders and had expected at the very least a week or two leave. But as a Turian, orders were orders and he took the commission to lead the hundred ship force, and took command of the Insurgent Justice. It had taken five days travel through the relays for the fleet to arrive in the same cluster and five hours in FTL to arrive in the targeted system. What they had found surprised even them, an entire planet controlled by the slavers answered in a full fleet action between the Turians and near a hundred and fifty slaver vessels.

"Bring the Fleet into Piercing Storm Formation; get the heavy cruisers in back, frigate screen out front. I want interceptors prepared to ward off boarding vessels; I refuse to allow a single Turian soldier to be capture by these Batarian bastards!" In any other fleet the surprise of an enemy fleet near twice the size of their own would send a bridge crew into a short panic but these were Turians and they moved efficiently and with discipline to send out the orders to the rest of the fleet.

The Turian fleet formed in five half circles, three in front, two in back. The first three would act as an advancing frigate shield, protecting the more powerful cruisers in the back. The cruisers which made up the two formations in the back would hold back on the advancing frigates and lay down artillery fire upon the disorganized slaver fleet.

The slaver fleet advanced in mass, hoping to overwhelm the Turian fleet and capture as many ships as possible. Already fighters and boarding craft, especially made to latch onto hulls and allowed the boarders to make surprise attacks upon the intended crew, were racing towards their targets.

"Hold back fire until the last second, wait for their fleet to get stretched out and let the frigate screen fire the opening shots. I don't want a single one of their boarders to land on my ships!" Darius ordered, his mandibles flaring in annoyance. They could win this. It would be easy. The fleet did as ordered and just as the slaver fighters and boarding craft came into range the Turian interceptors flew out of their cover behind the lines and unleashed withering fire upon their targets. Darius watched as the space before him turned into a symphony of lights. Blue flashes of fire filled the otherwise starry view and he turned to the Holo-field that was maintained in the center of the Bridge, to watch as the frigate screen advanced, a red line of fire hovered a good space ahead of them within the field and he watched as the line crossed over the first of the hundred ships and flared out his mandibles again. He watched as the first frigates fired and drew the slavers in.

"Cruisers prepare to fire!" The fire line for the cruisers appeared as they advanced slowly upon the building skirmish. One of the Comms officers turned in their chair.

"General, the Captain of the first frigate screen has reported they are taken greater than expected damage. They aren't using as low of tech as we first thought." Darius nodded slowly and clinked his talon on the railing surrounding the Holo-field.

"Cruisers advance and prepare firing solutions. We need to end this sooner than we thought. Also launch the regular fighters, they might have tougher weapons but they can't have better shields." He watched as the Turian fighters left their hanger bays and joined the dance of a hundred dots within the field.

"Within firing range, sending out fire orders General." Darius nodded to the Comms officer and felt the Insurgent Justice shutter slightly as its main cannon joined the thirty-five gun salvo. He watched with a certain detachment as thirty-one blots within the field flashed and then died.

"All but four shots were a confirmed kill. Those slavers are packed in tight, General." He nodded again and suddenly got a bad feeling. Even slavers would be smart enough not to group themselves in like this, especially not a group this large. He watched the battle carefully, his mandibles flaring each time one of his ships flashed within the field, signifying that they had taken a hit.

"Fleet status?" He knew that the slavers were dropping like pyjaks but he couldn't shake that feeling.

"Sir, we haven't taken massive causalities, in fact we are doing quite well out of the original hundred and fifty only a fourth of the enemy ships are left and we have only been engaged for twenty minutes." Darius glanced over the field again.

"They should have run by now. I want a scout to scan the other side of the planet. I want that blind spot filled. Now!" The comms officer passed the order and he waited as the minutes clocked by and growled metallically as the casualties slowly increased.

"Sir! We have detected another fleet! And there's a Mass relay hidden on the other side of the asteroid field! They are making a break for it!" Darius snapped his gaze upon the now revealed Relay, his mandibles flaring in shock.

"By the Spirits how did we miss that?!" The scanner officer looked up and replied.

"It's hidden within orbit of one of the larger asteroids. The frigate got a good scan on it though. It's a Primary."

"Are they escaping through it?" Darius watched as his fleet began to pin down the rest of the slaver fleet in a half circle of cross fire.

"Yes sir, dozens of ships are jumping as we speak. The databases claim that there was a Relay in this system but when it wasn't detected in the original position..." Darius nodded in understanding. It was one of those spirits be damned things that got dropped through the cracks. It must have been a inactive Relay for it not to have gotten anything but a cursory note in the Codex.

"Sir, the fleet is reporting an all clear, the last of the slaver vessels that engaged us have disengaged and jumped." He nodded and growled out his next order.

"Pin-point jump to the other side of the system, I want to catch these Batarian bastards as they come for the Relay and if they escape we will follow. Thus is our duty!"

* * *

AR System, Exodus Cluster

Early morning December 18, 2199

40th Scout Fleet

Commander Jordan Tabius had been in the 40t Scout for just short of fifteen years. He had promoted and placed in command just shy of six years ago. He had a beautiful wife on Terra Nox, a planet within the Third Sector, one of the richer Sectors in the Empire. He had two daughters, one just graduating from Secondary School and the eldest was set to be married in the next six months. This was also his final mission as commander of the 40th, after they were relieved by the 71st he would dock his beautiful Valor Class Cruiser and finally enjoy a few years of retirement before going back to work as a contractor. The Valiant was a beautiful example of her class, six years old and he had gotten the beautiful command vessel just as she left dry dock and replaced the Stargazer, which had been an Accumulator class frigate and had been the previous command ship of the 4oth.

He ran a hand down the railing of the observation deck and look out into space. The Valiant was currently placed just within the Asteroid field and would soon make contact with the Fifth Research fleet. They had received a report a day ago stating that they would be arriving a full two days earlier than originally thought, having been only in the next cluster over. Though the 40th would be unable to leave the system until she was relieved, it just meant that he had to only wait one more instead of two before ordering his fleet into light speed for the last time.

"Commander, the Fifth should be arriving any minute now." Commander Tabius merely nodded in a grandfatherly way that only one who had lived a good, full life could.

"I shall be there in a few moments, Ensign." He walked away from the grand window of the observation deck, missing the first ship of the Fifth entering the system.

The 40th Scout fleet was made up of twenty two ships. Its command ship was the Valiant, a Valor class cruiser with a large bulbous shape and a triangular engine tail that drop down below the main portion of the hull. It was by far the largest ship in the fleet at just under four hundred meters in length. The other ships were a mix of frigates and support craft. The main frigate used was the Interceptor, a boxy ship that was just under a hundred meters long and was lightly armed, more meant for speed and the ability to cripple an enemy ship up close rather than from afar. There were also two Accumulator class frigates, which held the bulk of the fighters not docked in the Valiant. Finally they were supported by a mix of Tartan Interceptors, small but very quick craft built to contain enemy fighters under heavy suppressing fire and Lunar gunships, also a small fast ship which was detailed with a variety of missile soils meant to cripple larger ships in hit and run tactics before escaping while launching a continuous barrage. The Fifth Research fleet was much smaller, only fifteen ships filled its billets and only eight of them were combat worthy. Their command ship was a lightly armed Accumulator which was refitted to host the majority of the research equipment and the rest of their ships were either Accumulators or Tartan Interceptors.

Commander Tabius walked onto the bridge of the Valiant and made his way into the center of the command platform which overlooked the Control and Intelligence Center.

"Sean. Derek. Good of you to join us." The two men turned from watching the Fifth come out of hyperspace and nodded in greeting, though remained silent. They were the two Sith warriors assigned to his fleet. They wore black and red armor, cloaks hid much of it from view and both wore face fitting helms, only the two glowing red eye slits of their visor package were visible.

"Commander, the Fifth has fully entered the system; we are receiving a comm patch." The Comms officer decreed.

"Patch them through please, Ensign." The young man nodded and on the Holopad built into the command platform, a woman appeared.

"Commander Tabius." She nodded in greeting. Tabius smiled in return.

"Greetings, Captain. I assume your trip went well." The crow's feet around his eyes crinkled as he smiled slightly.

"But of course, the moment I heard there was an active Relay I pushed the Hyperdrives past their safety limits!" Tabius chuckled.

"Would you like us to escort you to the Relay or will your fleet escorts be enough."

"Well commander if nothing has come through it and you haven't detected any major energy fluctuations, then I am sure we will be more than safe approaching it on our own. Thank you for the offer though." Tabius nodded and before he could say another word, the transmission was severed causing the two Sith to laugh.

"Quite the abrasive woman, wasn't she?" Tabius merely chuckled and prepared the 40th to assist the Fifth if it had any need of it.

* * *

Unknown System, Traverse

Turian Fleet, Insurgent Justice

Darius growled in frustration. The fleet was deadlocked in battle against the fleeing slavers. The only good news to be had was that the Turian fleet outnumbered them two to one. The bad news was that despite that the slavers were fighting like a trapped rat. In other words, dirty and vicious.

"Pull back the 12th wolf pack and bring them under the cruiser line." He watched in satisfaction as the fleet moved to his command, his will. A perfect example of Turian discipline. They may be fighting back but his fleet now controlled the Relay and he would either force them to scatter so they can be hunted down like the varren that are or die at the near full force of his fleet. In the hour of fighting that they had been deadlocked into, his fleet had only taken about twenty full casualties. A true testament to Turian superiority.

"General, they are beginning to break off." Darius nodded at the assessment and grinned. Just like a pack of varren that had just been collectively kicked in the balls.

"Frigate screen, full broadside!" The order went out with just a flare of the dramatic as the full remaining eighty-eight ships fired as one. His mandibles flared in satisfaction as the remaining ship either perished or made the last minute to FTL in escape.

"All ships form up on the Relay, we are going hunting!" Over the next twenty minutes the fleet gathered before the Relay in staggered formation for their exit out of the Relay.

"Send the orders, we are going through. May the Spirits look after any of the poor souls we find and may they grant us the ability to suffer them a quick death." With those words he launched the remaining fleet into the Relay, leaving nothing behind but a beacon to alert the Hierarchy of the location. If only he had known then what this simple, seemingly valorous decision would bring...

* * *

AR System, Exodus Cluster, 42nd Sector

Mid-morning December 18, 2199

40th Scout Fleet

Commander Tabius still stood upon the captain's platform in the center of the Valiant's bridge with a fresh cigarette hanging loosely from his mouth. If asked he would simply claim it was a stress reliever and he was in no way or form addicted to the bloody thing. His attention was focused on the Holo-table before him, which showed a representation of the system and the various subjects of interest. Namely his fleet and the fleet currently docked at the only Active Relay discovered in human history. He took a deep draw on the cigarette and ran a hand through his graying hair. If he was lucky he would make it out of this mess with some color still left. After three abrupt updates from the commander of the Fifth Research, he was more than informed on the details surrounding the Relay. The first surprise came in the fact that it had only been active for a little over two months but according to the logs that they were able to access via the Fifth's AI, none had come through it yet. In fact it was a minor Relay hooked up to a Primary in another Sector of space not even yet explored.

"So Captain, would you care to repeat that." He looked at another holographic figure of a woman which stood next to him.

"We are shutting down the Relay as we speak, however it is taking longer than usual do to the fact it's a minor Relay, we have to shut down the Primary remotely." Tabius nodded and let out a ring of smoke, which he was quite proud of in fact.

"And this is a problem how?" He asked gruffly, he just wanted this mess done with.

"The problem is that we are picking up some strange readings. The Relay network doesn't seem to want to shut down, we are currently forcing it to do a manual override." He raised an eyebrow.

"And why pray tell would you need to do that? What's stopping the ability to shut it down?" She let out a sigh and looked around, obviously something that was occurring on her ship.

"That's strange..." He looked at the holographic figure sharply. That was never a good sign.

"Sir! We are picking up massive energy signatures emanating from the Relay!" He turned his attention to the view port and watched as the rings surrounding the massive core began to rotate at an increased rate.

"Shit, something's coming through!" He turned to the still active transmission.

"Captain pull out now! Get away from the Relay!" The woman turned to him and nodded, the holograph cutting off as the ships surrounding the Relay began to pull away, only for one of the research vessels to explode as it was suddenly pierced by an exiting ship, so quickly that the ships shields never had a chance to form.

* * *

In Relay Transit

Turian Fleet

General Darius stood in shock as his ship suddenly shock in the middle of Relay Transit.

"What in the Spirits is going on?!" The various officers became frantic, as they pulled up readings and reports.

"General! We are being ejected from the Relay!" Darius's mandibles flared in shock for the second time that day. He watched in fear as his ship shook more and more before finally they came out of transit into real space

"I want a location and a..." He tailed off as he watched one of his ships explode as it came out of transit.

"By the Spirits! What was that?!" He turned to the Intel Officer.

"Sir, there are ships in system; several are docked to the Relay! Sir! They are trying to shut it down!" He turned to the Holo-field and saw the suddenly projected scene of a dozen or so ships surrounding the Relay as he fleet came out of transit in the standard staggered formation. His eyes widened at the fact that it was being shut down; it would take hours to reboot it and not to mention they would be trapped by a obviously hostile force.

"All ship open fire on the Unknowns! We cannot allow them to shut down that Relay!" He watched as several frigates used the exit momentum to spin around and bring the ships into their gun-sights.

* * *

40th Scout Fleet

Commander Tabius stared in shock as a fleet several times his own suddenly come out of the Relay, taking one of the Fifth on the broadside. He then watched in mounting horror as a couple dozen of the alien craft spun around and opened fired on the remaining Research fleet. He paled as he watched the unshielded ships suddenly exploded into pieces as they were struck by what appeared to be some form of projectile weapon. Possibly Eezo based. All of this occurred in a the space of two minutes, two minutes in which half of the Fifth Research was suddenly and viciously destroyed. Tabius would not allow the other half to die, not while he lived. With a quick glance at the now active war map of the system, he saw that if he could distract the alien fleet the Fifth might make it into Hyperspace. With that conclusion in mind he steeled himself.

"All ships, we are under attack by a hostile alien presence! We will be using ourselves as a distraction for the Fifth to escape into hyperspace. All ships charge and perform a strafing run, draw them into the asteroid field!" Commander Tabius watched as his ship accelerated to attack speed, the massive Valor Class cruiser leaving the protection of the asteroid field in the hopes of allowing the defenseless Research fleet a chance to escape. The twenty two ships of the 40th Scout Flotilla launched itself into battle, with the Valiant acting as the spear point they charged into the alien fleet.

The Imperial fleet opened up with a full barrage of Turbo lasers and proton torpedoes. The red flashes of light crossing the quickly decreasing space between the two fleets in an instant. The Turian fleet reeled as fire erupted across the bows of two dozen ships, ripping them apart in fire and plasma. The barrage continued as the 40th wiped around targeting new ships as the exploding remains of their original targets drifted in space, a full dozen crippled.

"All fighters and bomber launch, harass their fleet!" As the 40th slowed to make a curve around the edge of the alien fleet, dozens of fighter wings erupted from their hanger bays. The sleek silver Sith Interceptors swarmed the nearest ships, while the black triangular of the Federal class bombers began unloading concussion missiles and photon bombs upon the enemy ships. Tabius growled as he watched the alien fleet rally, his fists clinched as he watched the alien point defense system come to life, red beams of light reached out and held upon the passing fighters. The first blasts were absorbed by the light ion shields the Sith fighters had, before they exploded in vaporized light. He didn't have much time to gape as the Tartan Interceptor that was flying in front of the Valiant suddenly simmered a faint green, as the rune enforced kinetic barriers flared to life, deflecting one of the alien projectile rounds.

"Commander, the alien fleet is returning fire!" He paled as the Holotable created a virtual hail storm of incoming tracks in representation of the shit storm that was being unleashed upon his fleet.

"Sir, five seconds until contact!"

"All ships, brace for enemy fire!" He grabbed onto the railing and held on as the ship around him shook from the shock of the hits.

"Damage report!" He knew that the fleet was still firing; trying to draw away the Allen's attention but the sheer amount of fire his small fleet was taking had him more than worried.

"Kinetic shields at twenty percent, runes at forty. We took a total of twelve hits, sir!" Twelve hits, he repeated to himself. Either their weapon systems were weaker then he thought or his shields were even better than believed. Either way he knew they were in trouble, they couldn't with stand another volley.

"Fleet status?"

"Sir, five support craft are non-responsive on the Battle-net. At least two Accumulators are dead in space and half the fighters launched have been destroyed, the other half is currently being engaged by alien fighters and point defense." Tabius paled, this was the first major casualties that have ever occurred under his command. Despite all of the combat situations they have been in, he had never allowed his fleet to be put in such danger. But what other choice did he have, allow the Fifth to be destroyed?!

"What's the status on the alien fleet and the Fifth?" His ship was just reaching the asteroid field once more and he could already see the next volley approaching his fleet. Hopefully they would make it into cover before the volley hit them. The ship shook slightly as the Intel officer answered.

"Only three of the Fifth's ship made it to hyper space..." More than a few curses filled the bridge; even with the distraction the aliens had remained focused on the smaller fleet. Tabius took small comfort in the fact that if not for the desperate attack run those three ships might not have made it at all.

"The Alien fleet is forming up on the Relay but half is following us into the asteroid field." Good, they might give them a fighting chance. The 40th would do what they did best, hit and run.

"Sir, it also appears that he Fifth managed to temporarily disable the Relay, it appears to be destabilized and its attempting to readjust." That meant the alien fleet was stuck there, Tabius couldn't decide if that was a good turn of events or bad luck. Either way they had a fight on their hands.

* * *

Hyperspace, In Transit

71st Battle Fleet

Admiral Timothy Weasley stood at the center of the command deck of the Red Spirit's bridge. Beside him stood the beautiful Agent Scarlet, who he noted, appeared to be far more tense then she was a few hours ago. They had been in transit for the past two days and within the moment would be exiting lightspeed to take up their new post guarding the Active Relay. He had a full one hundred and twelve ships at his command, twelve Capital class ships, three of them being the massive Harrower Class Battleship. He had sixty Cruisers, ten of which were the carrier styled Venator class cruiser. The rest of the fleet was made up of the frigates and support craft, all formed up to enter the system. Timothy glanced over at the tense Imperial Enforcer.

"Worried?" She looked at him and gave him a stiff nod.

"I sense something is off in the Force... Something bad is happening and we are about to land in the middle of it." Timothy nodded slowly, worry spiking within. He turned to the Comms officer that stood off to the side.

"Send out orders to prepare for battle. We might be entering the system hot." The Infinite Fleets, long used to the use of the Force caused the officer not to even blink as he sent out the missive; if something was off with the Force then it was better safe than sorry. The Navigation officer turned his head.

"Admiral, we will be exiting hyperspace shortly." Timothy nodded slowly and watched as the bridge crew moved to battle stations as pre his orders.

"Ten... Nine... Eight... Seven... Six.. Five.. Four.. Three.. Two.." Admiral Timothy Weasley prepared for the worst and watched as the view ports went from blinding light to the black of space. Though what was should have been black of space was instead a raging battle. He watched with widening eyes as flashes of light filled the asteroid field which bordered the Relay and his mouth opened at the sight of the fleet that was fighting the 40th.

The 71st came out of hyperspace in perfect formation. The three Harrower Class Battleships lead the three spear points of the fleet, the Interdictor Capital ships formed up in the back and the cruisers/frigates made up the center.

Admiral Weasley was not a happy person and with barely withheld rage, bordering on glee snapped his hand out and pointed towards what he assumed was an alien fleet, spittle flying.

"All forces, ENGAGE!"

The intervening space between the two fleets was suddenly filled by a near solid wall of fire.

* * *

Hyperspace, In Transit to [{Restricted Information}]

The Veil and Escort Fleet

Harry Potter strode out unto the command deck of his own ship at just about the same time as Admiral Weasley was questioning Agent Scarlet. They were about to exit hyperspace and he could practically feel the hairs in the back of his neck stand up. Something was happening and he wasn't there to oversee it. With a mental slap he reminded himself that he was out here because of the growing sense of danger that grew daily.

"My Lord, we are preparing to exit hyperspace." Harry gave a slight nod and listened to the countdown. As they came into real space he only prayed to the Force that he was making the right decision. The path he was on was one that could very well shift the very structure of power that was held in the Force. With a slight shake of his head, he realized that this was necessary; the Empire needed its greatest weapon.

The Emperor's escort fleet came into real space within a small system; only one thing even made the system worth considering and thus the secrecy behind it. The large blue star sat within the system's center, a mineral rich asteroid field formed a ring orbiting around the star; the final feature however was the most important. This feature hung in high orbit around the star, and this object was what Emperor of the Infinite Empire focused his attention on solely. The reason he even considered this system of any importance whatsoever, his greatest work.

* * *

**Codex: Territories/Government and Capitalships**

* * *

Territories:

The Infinite Empire expanded quickly when humanity first reached out into the stars. Billions left Earth in hopes of finding cleaner air, fresher water and the opportunities that space offered. At this point and time the Infinite Empire is made up of 42 Sectors. Each Sector is made up of 5 to 10 Clusters and each Cluster is formed by 12 to 24 Systems. To keep such a large expanse controlled the government split itself up in the same way. A High Lord rules over a Sector, a Lord controls a Cluster and a Governor governs a System. This means that there are 42 High lords and they form the Imperial Senate. Unlike a normal Senate this has no true power to pass laws, for all laws must go through or be created by the Emperor. The entire purpose of the High Lord is too ensure that the Emperor's laws are enforced and their Sectors are controlled and allowed to Flourish. While laws are usually worked out in the Senate, they are rarely ever responsible for the law itself since they met for only a week and a half twice a year. The rest of the time they spend running their assigned Sector. This way they can exchange notes, and form a cohesive body to better control the vast space of the Infinite Empire. The High Lords were chosen during the Formation of the Empire and when a new Sector is formed the Empire chooses its High Lord. The position is then passed down to the most skilled and capable descendant, but It is the Emperor who makes the choice. To ensure the defense of the territories several fleets are assigned to each Sector. The main fleet of a Sector is called the Sector fleet. These fleets range form 200 to 500 ships depending on the Sector's importance and size. In a Sector three Cluster patrol fleets are formed, each ranging from 50 to 200 ships each. Finally major systems of material, political or strategic purpose has a defense fleet of 20 to 100 ships depending on the importance. While these account for the majority of the Imperial fleets, they still only represent a mere 65% of the Fleets. For example, the Home fleet guarding Earth has just over 2000 ships, and the 1st Sector, which includes Earth, has four Battle fleets that consist of 1000 ships each.

Capital Ships:

Capital ships are the largest and most powerful ships in the Infinite Fleets. Most any fleet that has over 50 ships has at least one Capital Ship. There are two types used by the Infinite Empire at this time.

The first is the Sith Interdictor. This ship has several variants used within the Infinite Fleets, most ranging from the original size of 600 meters to the largest at just under 1 kilometer. The Interdictor is the Main-line Capital ship sued and is the most common. Used for it versatility it is the most mobile, agile and maneuverable of the two Capital Class ships. A standard Interdictor can hold up to 150 fighters and bombers, had at the very least 12 series of Turbolaser batteries and a cruiser grade tracker beam. It is outfitted with the most powerful Ion shielding and the second most powerful Rune empowered Kinetic shielding. The Interdictor while a useful front line battleship, its main purpose is the use in Orbital battles and security. The unique Beak shaped hull allows it a unprecedented field of fire which is almost unidirectional.

The second Capital Class ship used by the Infinite Fleets is the Harrower. The most powerful Star Destroyer used by the Infinite Fleets, it stands normally at just over 800 meter. However there are several variants that exceed 1 kilometer, the most notable of which is the Flagship of the Home fleet the Terra Nova, which is the largest built to date at over 1.8 Kilometers. Unlike the Sith Interdictor it is a a true front line battleship, typically placed at the spear point of the fleet, it is the first ship to come out of hyperspace. The Harrower is equipped with at least 20 series of Turbo laser batteries, a dozen missile silos and two cruiser grade tracker beams. Unlike the Interdictor it only holds 90 fighters and bombers within its smaller hangers. Also unlike the Interdictor it has far less maneuverability, thought it makes up for it by having a doubled layer Rune empowered Ion and Kinetic Barrier. This type of shielding can only be used on Star Destroyer classed ships due to the need for large flat surfaces to form the specific runes. The Harrower, once more unlike the Interdictor, has far more restrictions on its field of fire, its main fields being to the front, sides and above. It typically has to be guarded underneath due to the lack of batteries on its underside.

* * *

**AN: I hoped you enjoyed the chapter. A few things before I go. The prophecy obviously has a meaning and hints to things beyond just the conquest of this galaxy. You are welcome to guess, though I think I was a little far too revealing. But ah well~ Most of the ship types are canon and can be found on the Wiki, that's were I found them. I will admit to being guilty for twinking them up a bit to match the fact that there is magic in this universe. I am however asking your opinions on the fleet sizes. Some fics have fleets in the tens of thousands, others rarely ever reach two hundred, so I for now i will be keeping things as they are until someone can prove that i should change it. If there is anything else, feel free to PM me or Review and I shall get back to you if I hold an answer or find what you said useful. Otherwise I still retain the right to ignore your reviews and write my story as I please! Thank you for reading!**

**WiseSilver**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hello, One and All! **

**I apologize for just how long it has taken me to finish this. You will find that it takes me forever to write large scale battles and even knowing so I am slightly insecure over how this chapter's fight went. So your opinion on that would be much appreciated! As for the rest, I have been busy. So today, I have new characters and situations. I have leveled out some of the playing field for future events and am happy with how this worked out! Also, IMPORTANT notice at the bottom for those who are interested! **

**Disclaimer: Sadly I do not own Harry Potter, Star Wars nor Mass Effect... Yet. So enjoy~ **

* * *

First Contact

Sector 1, Sol System, HomeBound Station

Her gleaming crystal blue eyes swept over her path, cold intelligence taking in everything and everyone that she passed. Fleur Delacour, High Lady of the First Sector, The Emperor's Consort and His Right Hand marched through the wide corridors of HomeBound station. The massive space station hung in high orbit over Earth, acting as both a ship yard and a space bound city. Hundreds of thousands called the orbiting monstrosity home, as it was humanity's first space station and acted as its unofficial capital. It was also the home to Lady Delacour, her personal seat of power within the Empire; Earth itself was her charge, given to her by her lover and liege. She watched as those around her bowed in respect, her two Veelan bodyguards scanning the crowd, and made her way to her destination on the ship yard side of the station. Normally tasks such as these would be seen as beneath her station but to be honest, after living for over two hundred years, she was more than willing to admit to being bored. With the reports she has been receiving as of late she knew that Harry would expect her to act in his steed as he gallivanted across the Empire overseeing his many personal projects. So accordingly she took it upon herself to ensure that things got done, this small task being one that she only slightly looked forward too.

She was the politician, when Harry was but the Savior of Britain she was the political mastermind that guided him through the minefields and the trenches that were the politically mired landscapes of economics and government. There were two things that every citizen of the Empire knew, the first was that the Emperor was the reason they were where they were, he was the reason they had escaped a dying and increasingly violent world and they loved him for it. He was one of the most common figures in the Empire, for he was constantly on tour, visiting planets and garrisons, meeting with the common man and using his many abilities to help those in need. The second thing they all knew was that when he was off on one of his private projects and was out of communication, High Lady Delacour was the power in the Empire. While she was fair, she was far more ruthless in her pursuit of controlling the Empire. She was one of the oldest Veela, as well as the Right Hand of the Emperor. She controlled his Enforcers and controlled the political fields of the Empire with both grace and a steely glare. If one did not fear the Emperor's power, one certainly feared his overprotective and very unforgiving consort.

Said consort entered one of the more lavish bars within the capital station, her eyes sweeping the crowds for her target and finding the flash of blonde in the far corner watching a holo-vid. She glided across the floor, politicians and aristocrats swiftly clearing the way for the second most powerful person in the Empire. Within moments she was standing behind him and coughed.

The man cocked his head, his charming smile coming into full view and watched as his eyes widened slightly before his smile grew.

"What can I do for you today, my Lady?" He stated smoothly, showing far more tact than his ancestor ever managed.

"Admiral, I am afraid that I may need to cut your leave short." Fleur responded lightly as she took the seat across from him. It had taken a few decades but once Harry had declared English as Imperial Basic she had quickly set off to rid herself of her French accent.

"Good, I was getting bored. The Fifth hasn't seen any action in over a year." She raised an eyebrow as the blonde man before her finished the golden scotch he had been nursing.

"Well Malfoy, I can see why you joined the military, you are far more forward than your brother." Crassus Malfoy, younger brother to High Lord Jericho Malfoy, chuckled slightly and nodded. He was the youngest of the Malfoy siblings at just over forty years old and unlike his ancestor he was a bit more laid back. However this did not lessen his desire to serve the Emperor, he held the old oaths just as dear as his older brother and the Malfoys always held up their oaths. During Harry's original rise to power Draco Malfoy had swore his alliance to the would be Emperor due to a upstanding Life-debt, and since then his descendants upheld his oath to serve Harry Potter to the highest of their abilities. For that they had been rewarded greatly during the formation of the Empire and because of that they were even more fanatically inclined to serve to the best of their abilities.

"Yes, Jericho is quite he stick in the mud." Crassus sat up straighter.

"So how may I serve the Emperor today, my Lady?" His eyes gaining the piercing quality his family was known for.

"I assume you have heard about the situation in Sector 42?" She leaned forward slightly and he nodded slowly.

"Yes, I read the reports. It's just a active Relay, correct?"

"I'm afraid not, as of a few hours ago we have had first contact with an alien species and sadly it was quite... Violent." His eyebrows rose and he glanced down at his now empty glass.

"Bloody... I am assuming you wish the Fifth Battle Fleet to solve the issue?" She slowly shook her head and kept herself impassive.

"Yes and no."

* * *

Sector 7, Magi Cluster, Santori VI

Water dripped from a leaky pipe, the soft sound was the only thing that could be heard in the deserted hall way far beneath the city above. The dank hall glittered in the flashing light of the old service lamps which hung loosely off the curved ceiling. A figure in ragged clothing walked slowly around the corner, its glowing red eyes glancing back in forth, sniffing the air slightly before continuing in its patrol. As it moved with an inhuman grace, it motioned behind it for a group of twenty to follow it through the hall. All wore hooded cloaks, the only prominent feature that was visible were the glowing red eyes that shone within the shadows of the hood. They moved quickly through the maze of underground tunnels, making their way to a central chamber. None noticed the slight shimmering in the air, hanging from one of the ceiling lights, a curious gaze following their direction.

"Kenji, can you read me?" A soft feminine voice asked into her mask, allowing no sound out into the underground tunnel, as the figure jumped from light to light, following the crowd.

"Yes, I've had to increase the power output, so watch for scanners." A voice answered in accented English, an obvious Japanese tilt to each of their voices.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind..." She trailed off dryly.

"Kasumi, be careful done there."

"Oh you do care!" A snort answered her as she chuckled to herself. She followed from above, happy to have the new sound dampeners installed. Her name was Kasumi Gato, once a thief famous for never being caught; at least until she was finally hunted down by an Imperial Enforcer a year or two before. To her surprise and the surprise of her partner and lover, Kenji, they were not arrested but rather recruited. Since then the pair have been using their remarkable stealth abilities to spy for the Empire.

"Yes I do, now be careful, Red Court is up to something serious here and Akira doesn't want you to take any unnecessary risks." Kasumi nodded slowly before making a small leap to the next light fixture, glad that they were fixed into the ceiling. She watched as the group moved deeper into the underground complex.

"So Kenji, we still have that date tonight, righttttttt?" She whispered huskily into the comm.

"Of course, but please try to keep the flirting to a minimal, Akira might be listening in and I'd prefer not to have a transcript sold to the highest bidder again..." Kasumi giggled.

"I did make a pretty penny off it..." She giggled harder as she pictured the shocked face of her lover. She landed silently on the floor and followed the group into one of the chambers.

"T-That was you?!" She slid up to a wall and slowly slid her arm out around it, allowing her Omnitool to scan the area they had walked into.

"Of course! Do you think I would let someone else profit from our dirty laundry?" She ducked low and checked the energy levels for her stealth field before following. Chuckling as she listened to the gasping sounds of her partner.

"Kenji, this might be bigger than we original thought." She entered the main chamber and gaped at the small city hidden beneath the planet's surface. The massive chamber was obviously a couple of miles in diameter. Tall ten story buildings filled rose up above the smaller, ghetto like hovels that filled out the small city. Dark beings could be seen moving in large crowds of hundreds if not thousands.

"I'm opening a feed to Akira. What's going on?" She aimed her arm up at a nearby indent in the ceiling, launching a grappling hook.

"Check it out; I'm going for a better view." She shot up into the air, her stealth field shimmering wildly until she came to a stop on the edge of a hidden cave towards the top of the colossal ceiling.

"Kuso! That's..."

"Yeah, bunch of bakas if you ask me. As if they would be able to hide from the Empire like this..." She watched for a while, noting the tall buildings and the massive bonfires that lit up the center of the underground complex.

"How did no one notice this...?" She scanned to each side, before sticking a transmitter into the wall.

"I don't know but we got orders from Akira. Set up shop, she wants you to be the greeting party for the Empire's response." Kasumi slowly nodded and grinned.

"This is going to be fun! Vampires really test my skills~" Kenji sighed into the comm before responding.

"Just be careful, I can't exactly come join you down there and it might be a while before you will get help." Kasumi nodded and began to set up her camp. She was sure this job just might be fun! Until her eyes flashed with realization.

"Kuso!"

"Kasumi?"

"Our date..." She pouted.

* * *

Undisclosed location

Harry Potter sat in his personal transport, two Sith guards stood off to the side, both whispering to each other. He was slowly going over a report over what was happening in the AR System and sighed. He had always known that they would encounter alien life but he had hoped it would be peaceful. He knew the pain of war, having fought side by side with Revan during the Mandalorian wars and later during the Jedi Civil war. He was willing to use force and he knew that the best way to achieve peace was to bring all under his dominion but was worried they might be biting off more than his Empire could chew.

He glanced out the view port and watched as the shuttle approached the massive space station that hung in high orbit above the system's star. The space station was centered with a large ball shape, easily the size of a small moon, on each of the four cardinal points, great towers extended out. Each pointed down towards the sun, making up the largest parts of the station. He watched as yellow energy was drawn up from the star and was collected in the four points of the great spires.

This was his greatest work, besides his Empire, and he was apprehensive about finishing it. This was the Star Forge MK II, after spending months scanning the original with his Master, they had created working blueprints for the original back in the galaxy he had been sent too after falling into the veil. Now he would be activating it full potential after only using a small degree of it for the past hundred years to aide in expansion. It had taken two years under time compression wards to completely build, in other words close to two thousand years.

He felt the shuttle lurch slightly and knew they were now being brought in via tracker beam. He glanced out and watched the six fighters that had been escorting them break off before standing and preparing for landing.

Five minutes later he felt the landing gear come out and listened to the wings pulling up from his transport before approaching the landing ramp.

He causally walked down the ramp, his gaze slowly sweeping over the cavernous hanger by, dozens of ships and fighters where landing and taking off all around him, his eyes however settled upon the three approaching figures. On both sides of the ramp stood twenty Sith battle masters, each standing at attention, their fists over their hearts. He turned his attention to the three Veela that now stood before him and smiled as the woman in the center suddenly launched herself forward, catching him in a hug.

"Gabby!" He laughed as he pulled her close and span her around before settling her back down. She was no longer the little girl he had saved over two hundred years ago in the Tri-Wizard tournament, but now a beautiful woman who despite the years, was in her prime. Like all Veela who served him, she knew his secret of immortality. Something only a being who could access both magic and the Force could utilize, Harry's most guarded secret.

"Harry! It's been almost a year." He put her down and with an affectionate ruffle of her hair he motioned for her to follow him.

"I've missed you too, Gabby. Fleur sends her best." The Veela next to him grinned at his words. Even after all this time she still held him as her personal hero and held an amazing amount of pride in being able to serve him. Even after all this time they still treated each other like brother and sister.

"Good, she hasn't called lately... Have you been keeping her busy again Harry?" He grinned at her and winked. They walked out of the hanger, the two Veela escorts walking several steps behind them.

"Of course, someone has to run things while I quote and quote, gallivant across the galaxy." He smiled at Gabby affectionately. There were very few people that he could truly be himself around and she was certainly on that particular short list. He was known as the Infinite Emperor for a couple of reasons and one of those was the way he traveled the Empire. He travelled because he couldn't stand being cooped up and because he wanted to be out among the people. He still hated fame, but he loved helping people, he still suffered from his people-saving-thing. That was the point of all this after all.

"Well you do need to keep in touch more often, that's for sure!" She giggled slightly, completely throwing the fact that she was hundreds of year's old out into the wind. They chatted amicably, their laugher acting as a balm to the normally stiff backed soldiers and guards as they walked through the massive corridors of the Forge. Eventually they came to one of the main observation decks, both stopping at the massive window that showcased the factory.

"This station never ceases to amaze me, Harry. We pump out thousands of ships a day, a capital ship every two days..." She shook her head slightly, watching as dozens of fighters rose through the factory towards the hangers above. Harry nodded slowly and watched, his hand lightly touching the glass.

"Yes... But she isn't completed yet." He let out a sigh. Gabby turned to him in confusion.

"What do you mean? It couldn't be any better than this, could it?" It was one of the few secrets he kept to himself, the final ritual needed to fuse the heart of the station with the Force, allowing it to create entire fleets in days instead of weeks. The cost though, was something that he feared. It was something that he hadn't hoped to bring upon himself or his empire.

"No it is not complete. It is functional but not fully. It needs to be alive." He noticed the raised eyebrow that accompanied Gabby's questioning stare. One needed to remember that behind the hyperactive persona was a mind as sharp as her sisters.

"Alive? As in the Force, alive?" He chuckled, was it that obvious, he thought to himself.

"Yes, we must infuse the station's heart with the living Force." He watched as she thought things through before she cocked her head.

"Then why wasn't this done already?" She turned to him fully know, confusion obvious in her expression.

"Because, the station would then become alive. I see you don't understand. Let me tell you a short story then." He turned to the window and watched as the massive factory worked. "The original Star Forge was created by an alien race called the Rakata. They were a race of people completely sensitive to the Force and thus came to rule an entire galaxy. But they lost themselves in their power and the wars they waged. Their answer to keeping themselves in power was creating the Star Forge; a device that could fuel their armies and economy indefinitely. But they made the mistake of making it one with the Force. It fed on their anger and hatred, their fear. A station like this, its children spread throughout the galaxy, killing and murdering. It grew just as fearful and dark as the people who created it, and all who stepped foot inside or in the system it was within became overwhelmed by the darkness it now fed upon. In the end it was because of this that a empire that was thousands of years old fell."

He turned to her, the worry obvious in his furrowed brows.

"If we do this, we could make the same mistake. We could create a weapon that would destroy all it touched. And I built this Empire to protect those who can't protect themselves. What would that make me if all I brought was death and destruction?" He let out a soft sigh and stumbled when he was hit by her hug. His eyes turned to the silver blonde mess that clutched him tightly. A small smile replaced the worry that was overcoming him before.

"That won't happen! You. Are. Harry. Potter! The Boy-Who-Lived! The Man-Who-Came-Back! The Infinite Emperor, the Protector of the People..." She slowly trailed off before loosening the hug and taking a step back to smile at him, sincerity fueling her words.

"If anyone can turn this station into a benevolent being, a being of protection. It is you." He grinned now, his old lopsided grin, and ruffled her hair like he did when she was still just a child.

"Maybe, just maybe I can. But! Only if you help." He grinned as she nodded vigorously. How he loved his little sister, as long as she and Fleur were around, he knew everything would be alright.

* * *

Sector 42, Exodus Cluster, AR System

Turian Cruiser Insurgent Justice

Darius was quite sure he would never be a happy Turian ever again. First he had been tricked and bogged down by slavers. Then they had escaped, only for him to get tugged out of the Relay system mid-jump. Now he was stuck in an unknown system, under attack by an unknown force which had his fleet pinned down around the Relay. Though as he stared at the tactical display on the HoloTable, pinned down wasn't quite the right word, he realized.

"Give me a Sit-rep on the forces inside the asteroid field." He turned to the tactical officer.

"General, they are currently fighting a hit and run battle with the enemy. They appear to be well versed in the movements of this particular asteroid field. Though according to the data we should overwhelm them in the next hour." Darius slowly nodded, his talons once more tapping the railing. They had been stuck in the system for just over three hours as it was and they were still an hour out from the Relay rebooting. He would admit that he was nervous. This was almost always when something went wrong. It was like watching a Verran death match; it was always the Verran that struck at the last moment that won.

"I want the third and fourth wolf-pack back with the fleet, the fifth and sixth can handle the rest of the hostile forces." He watched as his orders were carried out but that sense that something bad was going to happen was getting stronger.

He flicked his Omnitool at the display and watched as the fleet positions were brought up. He reviewed how the main portion of the fleet was set up in a defensive screen around the rebooting Relay; he knew that this was their one shot at getting out of the system and making it back to the Hierarchy. They needed to know about these aliens, they could be the greatest threat since the Rachni, their technology was powerful and disregarded their kinetic barriers. Even worse was the durability of their own shields. They needed to be out down before they could become too much of a threat.

"General! We are picking up strange readings on the systems edge!" Darius brought up the system on the tactical map and watched as to his horror dozens of objects came out of what he could only assume was FLT. His mandibles slowly opened as the final number came down to just over a hundred but what was worse was the size of the ships.

"Sir, they have over two dozen dreadnought sized ships..." The silence that filled the bridge was thick, stiflingly and more than a little terrifying. A dreadnought was any ship typically the length of 600 meters and upwards. The largest ship in his fleet was his personal flagship, the Insurgent Justice, which was just at 500 meters long.

"All ships form up around the Relay; I want a clear line of fire for every ship. Defend the ships docked to the Relay, they must finish the rebooting!" He turned to the tactical display, if Turians could sweat then he would be drenched. They were clearly out matched and even with the longer range of fire he knew that they would be overwhelmed eventually.

"We just have to hold out an hour and then we can return to council space..." He whispered to himself.

"By the Spirits..." Darius turned his head to the awed officer looking out the view port. He walked over quickly, curious as to what was happening only to gasp in shock. The entire space between the two fleets was filling with red fire!

* * *

The 71st

As the 71st roared into combat, turbo laser fire filling the intervening space between the two fleets, thousands of fighters launched out into the black depths of space from their hanger bays. The fleet launched forward as they were ordered to close in on the alien fleet, and the fighter's orders were no different.

"Gold wing, reporting in."

"Silver wing, reporting in."

"Platinum wing, acknowledges. All wings prepare for combat." The near three thousand fighters formed up into their wings, each wing at one thousand strong. Platinum took the lead, their massive triangle pulling ahead of the two other formations, heading straight towards the alien fleet.

"Orders are as follows! Gold, take top angle. Silver, bottom. Coordinate, I don't want any friendly fire. Platinum will take the center and distract."

"Gold wing, acknowledges!"

"Silver wing, acknowledges!"

The two other wings broke off, one rose above and the other below as Platinum soared into the space between the two fleets. The thousands of fighter dodged around the incoming fire, Platinum leader Captain Ajid Musadi watched as dozens of fighters proved to slow to dodge the massive projectiles that the aliens fired, the rest making use of the Flash drive. The Flash drive was an advance Eezo based device which allowed a fighter to jump in any direction a hundred meters. Shutting down his emotions as he watched another fighter explode in brilliant blue, he activated the FD and shot ahead, the alien fleet finally coming into view.

"Platinum wing, form up on me! Watch for alien fighters and target their frigates, we need to break the screen so Gold and Silver can pull off a cross fire." He watched as dozens of greens lights lit up the squad window of his HUD, each showing that a squad leader understood. He hit the switch to unlock his S-foils and brought himself into attack velocity.

"Platinum wing! Attack velocity!" The fighter fleet followed his lead and formed around him. The first of the alien frigates came into view as Platinum suddenly spread out so as to cover as much space as possible. Each squadron picking a target while others moved back to cover the attacking squads.

The first of the 71st entered dog fighting range as the cruisers, led by the first of the fleets' three Harrorwer, the massive forty ship spear point pushed into the already heavily pressed frigate screen, tearing through the gaping hole. Green runes flared across dozens of hulls as cruisers and frigates took mass accelerated rounds forms the Turian Fleets, returning fire with turbo lasers and mass drivers. Captains shouted orders across their bridges as the frigates tried to turn into the quickly advancing Imperial fleet, only for the hundreds of still active fighters to take advantage of their new focus and began new strafing runs.

The massive Harrower capital ship fired its turbo laser batteries into the three of the opposing cruisers, before its engines fired brilliantly, pushing it into one of the lager alien cruises, its serrated, armored tip plowing into it and tearing in half, before firing at point blank range into the wreckage. Causing the two other cruises facing it to pull back, only to be taken down by the combined mass drivers of three Vengeance Class cruises; Orange flashes of heavily heated shells tearing the ships apart.

* * *

Inside the asteroid field the four remaining ships of the 40th fought for their final breaths, formed up in a clearing in the center of the at asteroid belt, their turbo lasers firing brilliantly in a desperate attempt to stay alive against the ten remaining alien vessels, which were using their greater mobility to employ hit and run tactics against the more sturdy ships.

"Damn it; divert remaining power to the shields!" Commander Tabius growled out as he watched the Holotable, sweat pouring down his forehead.

"And someone take care of that bloody fire!" His hand swishing out to the side where two of the bridge crew was dragging off an injured crew member. A fire burning steadily where his station was just minutes before. He growled as a report from engineering flashed across his screen, reporting that their engines where disabled in the last pass.

"Commander, we just got word from Admiral Weasley, we should be getting reinforcements shortly!" Tabius nodded absentmindedly as the scanners alerted them to another strafing run.

"Forward batteries, target zone 7!" He cursed as the Valiant shook from another series of hits, only for a pleased expression to form as he watched another alien vessel was torn apart by his ships Turbo batteries.

"Commander! The Relinquish is reporting a failure of their shields; they might not be able to hold up against another attack!" Tabius pulled up their formation on the Holotable and sent orders for the remaining three ships to form a defensive position around the frigate.

"Well commander, you seem to be in quite a bind..." A figure popped up on the Holotable and Tabius let out a sigh of relief.

"I take it you are my reinforcements?" The figure nodded before looking off screen.

"Our fighters should be flushing out the scum as we speak, just hold on a little longer. Oh. And the Admiral sends his regards. Good job, Commander." Tabius sagged a little as he let the new forces handle the aliens, before nodding to his men, as the figure disappeared.

"Sir, we are picking up friendlies sweeping through the asteroid field."

"Good, remain on defensive positions, we will allow the 71st to handle the aliens from here." He looked out through the view port and watched as flashes of light field the space around them, finally allowing himself to relax for the first time since the aliens had arrived in system.

* * *

"What remains of the 40th have been secured and they shall be joining up with our forces shortly, Admiral." Admiral Timothy Weasley nodded, his expression grim as he looked over the incoming reports.

"I want the 3rd and 6th to come out of the asteroid belt just shy of Relay and out flank the alien fleet, they are focused on us and hopefully will not expect us to have dealt with their forces inside the field just yet..." He watched as one of the officers relayed his orders before turning back to his reports.

"How much longer before the Relay becomes active again?" Another office answered quickly.

"Our AI can't say for certain but it fears that it won't be long." Timothy sighed, the Aliens had full control over the Relay and despite their advantage in the battle, the fleet had yet to break through the cruiser screen.

"Causalities?"

"Sir, we have lost just over ten ships, three were cruisers. Our shields hold up well, but under focused fire they fail quickly. Their shields are useless against us but their hulls absorb our fire long enough that they can move out of position." Timothy nodded, that was their one advantage, they apparently relied upon a full Eezo based propulsion system which gave them advanced maneuvering abilities over his ships.

"Admiral! One of the Harrowers and their escort has broken through and are moving to secure the Relay!" Timothy brought his attention back to the Holotable.

"I want the 13th and the 8th to move into the gape and widen it, break that screen! I want their fleet forced apart and prepared for boarding." The bridge crew launched into action as they sent out his orders.

"You have a pretty calm head for a Admiral with little actual fleet experience." Timothy turned his head to take in the blonde Veela that now stood by his shoulder.

"I wouldn't be an Admiral if the Emperor didn't believe me capable, Agent Scarlet." His gaze remained firm as she eyed him searchingly.

"True, true. I take it you wish to capture a ship or two?" Her grey eyes searching the Holotable, imploringly.

"Yes, if we can get a Sith to search their minds we might be able to gain unprecedented Intel on their movements and intentions. This is an act of war and the Empire needs all the help it can get." He ran a hand through his dark red hair, letting out a tired breath. Scarlet watched him out of the corner of her eye and was impressed by how calm he was while facing down an unknown alien fleet. Despite his earlier anger, he remained calm and kept the fleets under his controlled. She had to admit, she was impressed.

* * *

Turian Fleet

Insurgent Justice

"Pull the Cruiser screen back; we need to hold the Relay! What's the status of the Frigate screen?!" His beady eyes flared in controlled panic. He had never been in situation like this before, he was looking at total fleet devastation at the hands of these primitive aliens. They didn't even use Mass Effect based technology.

"We are still receiving reports from fifteen of the frigates; we estimate that they will last against the enemy fleet another... Two minutes." Darius turned towards the comm officer.

"By the spirits. All of them?" The officer nodded and pulled up their location on the Holotable.

"They have been split apart and are being crushed by superior numbers, General." Darius nodded in acceptance as another cruiser flashed and died on the screen. His fleets of just under a hundred have in the last hour dropped down to over twenty ships while having dealt barely any damage to the alien fleets.

"What's the word on the damn Relay?! It is rebooted yet?!" His normally calm demeanor was slowly making way for the panic that was steadily growing inside his curved chest.

"The two ships still docked are giving us five minutes, General."

"The moment that Relay comes back online I want all ships to jump! We need to alert the Hierarchy to this threat." Nods filled the CIC, even as the cruiser rocked from a nasty hit.

* * *

Turian Frigate

The white and red paneled frigate drifted lifelessly in space, the wreckage of its brother and sisters floated around it. The only signs of life were the flicking lights in the various viewports across the ship. Its engines flicked with little life loft in them as it tried to move away from the quickly ending battle, though it didn't get far as a Interdictor slowly moved into position behind it, the capital ships tractor beam holding it in place as several pods launched forth.

The ship's captain stood firm as his men moved about trying to repair and secure the ship, their motions hurried and uncharacteristically panicky. The Turian was about to send out another report when suddenly the ship lurched and several loud clanging sounds filled the halls.

"By the spirits! We have been boarded!" The Turians raced throughout the bridge, grabbing weapons from their racks and prepared to fight what they knew would be a hopeless battle.

All was silent for a few moments as several Turians covered each entrance into the main CIC with their rifles. A eerie howl filled the bridge, and the Turians shivered as several joined it, their instincts screaming for them to run at the obvious sounds of predators on the hunt.

"Stand your ground! We are Turians, we never surrender! We never back down! Hold the Lin-" The captains speech was cut short as the one of the hatches suddenly burst inwards, showering the Turians that were guarding it with shrapnel.

When the Turians turned back to the door, two sets of glowing yellow eyes glared back at them from the darkness. They stood frozen in fear as two massive figures of fur covered bipedals slowly moved into the light. They were covered with a strange silver armor that was covered with a strange language and glowed softly. Just as the first Turian gained the courage to open fire, the two figures burst into motion and torn them apart, blue blood splattered the floor and walls nearby. The other Turians watched in mounting terror as the two blood colored creatures turned to them and... Smirked.

The Turians raised their rifles and were about to open fire when the second door way to the CIC burst open and four more of the furry armored predators launched into the room, tearing into the Turians.

This however was not what the Turian Captain feared, what he feared was the being that followed the beings in. It stood tall and straight, its black and red armor shone in the little light provided, two glowing red eye slits were the only feature on its helm. The captain watched in horror as a red beam of light burst from the silver hilt the being carried. The captain tired to fire but watched as the beam of light intercepted each shot and as his rifle overheated the Turian captain felt his throat constrict and all went black. His last sight were two glowing red eyes as the darkness overcame him, the screams of his men fading out with his consciousness.

* * *

Insurgent Justice

The cruiser rocked under fire as its main gun fired towards the approaching alien fleet.

"Focus fire on the dreadnought!" His orders echoing out through the CIC as General Darius tried to bring some order back to his fleet. Down to ten ships he knew it was over and vowed to take at least that spirits be damned dreadnought down with him.

"General! The Relay is powering up!" Darius spun in place and watched out the view port as the rings began spinning at their normal velocity.

"All reminding ships make for the Relay!" He felt the Insurgent Justice lurch forward, a sure sign that their inertia dampeners had been damaged, and shot straight for the Relay. Darius watched in anger as another cruiser exploded into fire as the alien fleet focused all fire on the fleeing ships, instead of trying to disable them as planned. Darius's last sight of the unknown system was the flaming wreckage of what remained of his fleet, before the blue of FTL travel filled the viewports.

"Prepare a report to Palaven, the Hierarchs must known of this. This is surely the start of the next Rachni war..." Darius sagged as he let the railing over the Holotable bare his full weight. The Hierarchs were going to have his head, he just knew it.

* * *

The 71st

The Red Spirit

Timothy watched as the last and largest ship of the alien fleet escaped into the Relay, before sending out orders to not chase after them. They had no idea where it jumped and what might be waiting for them on the other side.

"Cowards..." He turned to the Enforcer next to him and chuckled lightly.

"I would have run as well, Agent." Scarlet turned to him and huffed slightly.

"Possibly, but they deserved death for what they caused here." Timothy only nodded, from the reports he had received from the 40th, the fifth research fleet were nearly killed to a ship, unprovoked.

"Send out orders for the Fleet to secure the system. Also, have the AIs shut down the Relay and its sisters. It might not stop the aliens from returning but it will give us advanced warning." One of the officers nodded, while another approached.

"Admiral, four alien vessels have been captured and their crews subdued. Orders?" He was about to speak when Scarlet spoke up.

"Bring the prisoners to this ship, I shall handle their interrogations." She pulled out a chip from his data pad and handed it to the officer.

"My personal AI shall decipher their language and break into their systems. It was made for just a event as this." The officer bowed and walked away to fulfill her orders. Timothy raised an eyebrow but didn't argue, she was one of the few people who could supersede his orders after all.

"This is only the beginning, you know..." He breathed out. Scarlet turned to him and nodded.

"Yes, the Emperor will want these barbaric aliens brought to heel. He won't tolerate attacks like this to occur." Timothy was apt to agree with her, the Emperor would not be pleased by a rouge and hostile alien group, not pleased at all.

* * *

Imperial Codex: Eezo Technology And Cruisers

* * *

Eezo Technology within the Infinite Empire:

After the Discovery of the Prothean ruins on Mars, Eezo and the Mass Effect were introduced to the Empire. However, after several experiments to compare, Infinite Tech vs Eezo Tech it was shown that the advantages in both energy as well as efficiency went to the already developing Infinite Technology being offered and produced by Phoenix Labs Inc. This however, did not preclude the use of Eezo based technology, merely compartmentalized it's use. The most common Eezo based technology to be used in the Empire is the Omnitool, using Prothean schematics, this versatile tool has made it into the homes of nearly every citizen and onto the Arm of the Emperor himself. All ships have a small Eezo drive core installed and supported by their basic Ion hyperdrives, allowing them the use of Kinetic barriers and the Flash Drive. Increasing the durability and maneuverability of both military and civilian ships. A rather unknown fact is that Holo technology is a mixture of both Infinite tech and Prothean based technology. The other important discovery in Eezo technology came in the form of the Mass Relays. After years of study by the Empire, both militarily and civilian, it was held as common knowledge that Hyperspace was a far more effective means of FTL travel and thus the Relays have been systematically shut down and in more important systems, such as Sol, moved.

* * *

The Infinite Fleets: Cruisers

Far more numerous than their larger cousins, Cruisers are the main ships of the line within the Infinite Fleets. The capital ships might lead the fleets, but the Cruisers are the backbone. Two main types are used by the Empire, Main-Line Cruisers and Carrier Cruisers. Both serve their own purpose in the dynamics of space battle.

The Valor Class is the first hybrid Carrier/Main-Line Cruiser. It is made specifically to lead smaller fleets and act as both a command center and a fleet hub. It carries just over a hundred fighters and bombers within its hangers and is as fully armed as any other Main-Line Cruiser in the Fleet. Although it is slower than most Cruisers, it makes up for this weakness with its increased armor and its compliment of fighters. It holds a fire range close to the Sith Interdictor in that it has a near 360 degrees of fire.

The Victory Class Star Destroyer is the most versatile of the Main-Line Cruisers. It has the most fire power and the greatest maneuverability. Shaped much like its greater cousin, the Harrower, it is just as capable of ramming a target as it is gutting it with massive amounts of turbolaser fire. Its overpowered tractor beam makes it a excellent ship of choice for intercepting target ships and holding larger ships in place for bombardment. It holds a small hanger, capable of holding several squadrons of fighters and bombers making it a main stay of the Infinite Fleets.

The Vengeance Class Cruiser is by far the most unique of the Cruisers used by the Empire. While it has barely no shielding to speak of, it makes up for that in increased speed and with an advanced stealth system, allowing it to hide its position from enemy sensors. It is the sniper of the Infinite Fleets. Using mainly Mass Drive weapon systems, it hold the longest firing range in the fleets, typically staying back form the battle to target marked ships or support fleet rushes. It is the smallest of the Cruisers, having no hanger nor a Eezo core, it only escapes Frigate status due to its abilities and difficulties in construction.

The Venator Class Star Destroyer is a purely Carrier type Cruiser. It is the slowest and weakest of the Cruisers and typically make up the center of the Carrier Fleets. They hold a majority of a fleet's ground and invasion forces, while holding up to two hundred fighters and bombers. While slow and weak in firepower, it makes up for it with its advanced Flash Drive, allowing it to make pinpoint jumps beyond blockades and enemy interceptors. It also sports a dual layer Runic shield that only the Harrower shares. It is usually accompanied and supported by Accumulator class frigates.

* * *

**AN: IMPORTANT NOTICE: I am looking for a Beta reader with experience in writing Harry Potter, Star Wars and Mass Effect stories. PM me if you are interested and we can discuss it further. As some have noticed and commented, there are some things that I miss or just don't know how to reword, so it would be useful to have another opinion before I publish. **

**Thank you for reading, Review with your thoughts and ideas! I forever hold the rights to ignore or other wise continue writing as I see fit, despite your objections or suggestions! **

**Also for those of you who might not like how I am portraying Harry as the stoic Emperor one second and the regular Harry who might have been the next, I am trying to make him a well rounded character who isn't a machine and just issuing orders all the time. He will be stoic and ruthless when needed, but when around Gabby and Fleur he will revert to a healthy (or as healthy as he can get) human being. A man has to find some form of happiness, no? **

**~WiseSilver**


	5. Chapter 5

**Planning a War**

* * *

Sector 6, Truman Cluster, Armani 11

Lucky-Ship Pub, Glaustin City

* * *

Despite its name, Armani 11 was much more of an agricultural planet rather than an industrial or corporate world. Much of its population worked on its many farms and ranches, while few actually lived in the city centers. These centers weren't even true cities; they were more along the lines of space ports where meat and crops were shipped out throughout the Sector. However, while the cities were not population centers they did hold much of the entertainment that the planet had to offer. One of those places of entertainment was a small bar and pub on the outskirts of one of the smaller cities. This particular pub catered more to the nearby farmers rather than the bored spacers.

James was a simple man, one of the reasons why he decided to settle down on a farm world rather than one of the more industrialized planets. Here he had met his wife; he had farmed his land and had begun to raise his children. Though there were some nights when he just needed to get out, enjoy a good butterbeer with a few friends and catch up with the ongoings of the Empire. What he hadn't expected to find that night was a packed bar and a Vidscreen blaring. He shoved his way through the crowd until he could hear what was being said...

"...After fending off the attack, the 71st secured what was left of the system and it has been reported that the Fifth Battle Fleet has been called up out of patrol duty to secure the gateway system that the barbarous Aliens :Turians: used to enter Imperial territory." James's eyes widen in surprise, an alien attack, he thought to himself before a large hand grabbed him by the shoulder.

"It finally happened, intelligent life has been discovered and the first thing they do is start a war..." The deep voiced filled the suddenly still air. James turned his head to the massive man that stood beside him.

"Well... At least we know we can beat them, eh Crewman?" The black man nodded, his ebony eyes flashing with insight.

"Aye, I can't help but agree with you. After fifteen years in the Force, I can't help but feel sorry for the poor wretches. The Emperor doesn't take threats lying down." James could see the nods of agreement all around them. If there was one universal truth in the Empire, it was that you just didn't mess with the safety of its people.

"There be a reason that the Emperor be known as the Master of Death!" A voice in the crowd noted, gaining more mutters of approval.

"I say that if these aliens think that we will just lie down and let 'em blow up OUR ships and kill OUR people! Then they have another God be damned thing comin' for 'em." The mutters increased to a deafening buzz as the crowed bar agreed with the sentiment. James just sat down and felt sorry for the poor sons of a guns that would feel the wrath of the Infinite Empire, then again he figured that you just couldn't feel sorry for stupid however.

Unknown to that James and his drinking buddies, this conversation was being shared across hundreds of worlds and was quickly spreading. The Turians might not have caused some great tragedy but it was becoming common belief that a people as stupid as these Turians existed, then they practically needed to be taught a lesson by Humanity.

* * *

Sector 42, Exodus Cluster, AR System

* * *

Admiral Timothy Weasley glanced over the tactical display overhead of the system. Now that the system had been secured and Relay deactivated his job was to reinforce the systems defenses until he received new orders. So far stationary defenses had been set up within and alongside the asteroid belt that made up the center of the system and acted as a natural defense for the single garden world further in. Turbo laser turrets, mines and several small asteroids were being hollowed out to act as fighter hangers for quick response forces. He brought up the garden world and noted that the ground forces had begun set up swimmingly for several ground to orbit defense bases. It had been just over a week since the battle with the Alien forces now identified as Turian. Since then several small defense fleets have been sent in and the system was being reinforced for settlement, while hyperspace routes where plotted via scryiers and probe droids. Though the biggest challenge they faced was discovering the Primary Relay that controlled this particular Relay and either move it out of place or set up defenses around it.

This fact led to his next dilemma. The Fifth Battle Fleet would be coming out of hyperspace soon and would be activating the Relay before taking it to secure the other side. Once secured his fleet would then follow them through and take up position on that side while the Fifth would use the information gathered from the Codex discovered on several of the disabled Turian warships to wage war upon them. The Emperor's orders were quite clear in the fact that the Turians needed to be brought down a notch and made into a non-threat before first contact was made with this Citadel Council.

"Admiral, long range scanners have picked up the Fifth. They should be entering the system soon." Timothy sighed painstakingly and ran a hand through his red hair.

"Good, prepare the fleets for their arrival and have my personal transport prepped." This day was going to be a long one...

* * *

Agent Scarlet was not her real name but merely her code name used when out on assignment. She only shared her real name with those closest to her, so as of that moment only a few of her fellow Veela, her parents and of course the High Lady and the Emperor knew her birth name. Her grey eyes poured over the view from the observation deck, her silver robes flowing around her from the light breeze brought on by the life-support systems. She was young for an Enforcer, just inside of her thirties and this had been her most important mission yet. Now that it was completed she was at a slight lose as to what she would do. The Enforces unlike most organizations was made up of Agents that stood in two categories. The first being what she was when she had first arrived in system, that of an Agent on Duty, meaning she had a mission and orders. And what she was now, a Free Agent.

Free Agents choose what to do and where to go until the next time the Emperor had need of them. Some went on vacation, others returned to their home in one of the many Veela communities throughout the Empire and others still travelled and sought out corruption or threats to the Empire.

Scarlet was one of the latter, she enjoyed the blood rush of a battle; she enjoyed moving around and seeing the galaxy in all its splendor. Though, she thought to herself, it may only be because she is young and still hoping to spread her wild oats.

It was one of the reasons why she used her light saber more often than her wand in life threading circumstances. She wanted to be up close and personal, she wanted the kill in the knowledge that she brought that person to death via her own hands, her own blade. She wasn't hesitant to use her wand or magic but she felt it honored a foe far more to fight with her skill not her power.

This was not to say that she fought for the sake of fighting, she did not suffer from bloodlust. Instead she just felt that it would make every second worth more, with the knowledge that she fought for it with her own blood, sweat and tears rather than with a Force given gift like her magic.

Being a Veela was not easy and thus she could not partake in the same everyday pleasures that others could. Where she tread, men fell at her feet and women glared or fell just as equally. A Veela could hold back her allure but she could never stop it. Thus her personality was trapped and cursed by the lust of those around her; only the most strong willed could stand with her as an equal. But those were far and few in-between and thus she had forced herself, like many Veela before her, to seek other means of enjoyment and life. In this case, serving the Emperor and furthering her own skills as a warrior and Enforcer.

She glanced out the window and watched as the personal transport of Admiral Weasley flew out into space, her eyes following the graceful curves of the Star Forge made ship. That was when her eyes settled upon the newly arrived Fifth Battle fleet. The massive amount of ships moved slowly through the system, massing to jump through the Mass Relay on the other side of the asteroid belt.

Her eyes suddenly lit up with glee, a wonderful idea suddenly coming to her. What better way to test herself than by joining a fleet ready to head off to engage an unknown foe...

* * *

On Board the Draco

* * *

The Draco was one of the larger Sith Interdictors created by the Empire. Though it was made as a mobile command station rather than a battleship, it was still a sight to behold from space. The Draco sported the famous beak like appearance, intimidated with her massive turbo laser batteries and inspired awe with the Imperial blue of her armor. She was outfitted with the best in communications, scanning and tactical suites, allowing her unparalleled information and strategic ability within the fleet or on the battlefield.

Admiral Malfoy sat in his chair in the center plane of the command deck, his eyes fluttering from screen to screen as he looked over the data gleamed from the alien fleet. This Codex was far too convenient, yet until they could connect to this extranet; this was the only information on the Turians and the so called Citadel Council that he would no doubt be dealing with over the next few months. He wasn't very worried though, from what he could tell the Fifth Battle Fleet could handle the whole lot of them so long as he kept her from being bogged down by the enemy.

The Fifth Battle Fleet was made up of more than a thousand ships, accompanied by four full Carrier Fleets, giving the Fifth more than ample ability to launch multiple invasions. Though as his orders stood, he was too jump through the Relay and secure the system that the primary Relay was situated. Then once secured, the 71st would then move in behind them and take over control of the system and the Fifth would then move to secure the Cluster and then with further information bring the Turians to their knees.

"Admiral, Admiral Weasley has landed in the hanger bay and is no doubt on his way to speak with you now." Crassus nodded and span his chair one hundred and eighty degrees and clicked a button so a small glass Holotable would rise up along with another chair.

He didn't have to wait long as the Bridge doors opened up and the familiar red head walked onto the Command deck, flanked by two of his personal guards.

Crassus was quick to his feet as he approached the weary Admiral with a wide grin.

"Tommy, its always good to see my favorite punching bag!" Crassus gushed, his eyes lit with humor, Timothy merely groaned.

"Crassus, its been years since our academy days..." They shook hands with a friendly demeanor, the two locking eyes as they sized each other up, their old rivalry slowly coming back to surface.

"Phish-posh, we never grow old, Tommy! We merely become better with age. Now sit and have a drink with me before I head back off into the ether." Crassus led him back to the small table where a deck officer had placed two wineglasses along with a bottle of chilled wine.

"I see you still enjoy a glass or two while on the bridge..." Timothy droned our dryly, taking a seat before taking the offered drink.

"You know me, old boy, without a glass I'm barely better than a glorified navigator." The two grinned like schoolboys as they clinked their glasses together before taking healthy swigs.

"So, Tommy, tell me about these Turians?" Crassus leaned forward, his hand touching a series of hidden buttons on the table, causing a holo image of a Turian soldier to appear between them.

"Ah, I see you got the Codex. If so, why are you asking me?" Timothy studied the image with a calculating eye.

"Because, Tommy old boy, you had firsthand experience fighting the buggers. I need your professional opinion before I make the jump into alien territory." Crassus nursed his glass slowly while awaiting his answer. He was dressed much like Weasley, a crisp naval uniform, colored grey, black and orange. Though unlike Weasley, his chest sported three bars instead of two, denoting him as a Admiral Third class. This showed that he was capable of leading such a large and important fleet like the Fifth. Leaning back in his chair, Timothy took a deep breath, thinking over what he wanted to say.

"They are highly disciplined, not once even when facing a superior force did these Turians break. My only problem with that was that they could have retreated and survived, possibly found a better position rather than pinned against a Relay without cover. I consider it a commander fault, rather than doctrine." Crassus nodded in understanding and typed a few notes into his data terminal.

"So they aren't weak militarily but they appear to have issues to adapting to new circumstances." Crassus mused slowly, a video clip of one part of the battle.

"Yes, I would agree with that assessment. They appear to be used to a certain type of warfare and once out of their element..."

"They become disorganized and panicked. At least in their big picture strategy planning." Timothy nodded and watched as three of his cruisers engaged a frigate cluster, turbo lasers and mass drivers firing back in forth.

"Their ships seem to be quite slow as well; their armor and the design of their ships show a line of fire doctrine that can hurt them against a swifter foe." Crassus stipulated, watching as the three cruisers moved to knife fighting range before the Turian vessels could back off, quickly being overrun.

"Yes, that was my official assessment as well, they are powerful at long range but close in and they fold faster than a guy at a poker table full of Veela..." The two of the, snorted before smirking at the other.

"August, 2167?"

"Can't believe that became an actual slang."

"The Emperor himself told that story." Crassus informed Timothy dryly, smirking triumphantly at the choking noise Timothy made.

"L-let's get back on topic, Cras." Crassus merely smiled and brought up the Relay on the Holotable.

"The plan is to send the first through fifth elements of the Fifth through the relay and secure the other side, than the rest will continue through. We should exit in the system housing the Primary relay." A map of the galaxy appeared and rotated over, showing two dots, one red, and the other blue.

"This is where the AIs suspect the primary relay is. We still have probes out searching for viable hyperspace routes to the area before we expand further." Timothy nodded, it was his probes that were doing the work, but he understood what Crassus meant.

"Once we have secured the system we shall spread out and secure the cluster along with any outgoing relays, then your fleet will come in and secure the primary relay system whilst we advance on the nearby Turian worlds." In reality the plan was rather simple, but they both understood the risks. They were heading into virtually unknown territory, with the possibility of facing an unknown alien force. Both were nervous but they knew that this was an important step. They needed a foothold in the greater galaxy, and this was the best bet to both secure the network link into the Empire and have a beachhead for further invasions.

The two admirals continued their discussions until a deck officer approached, standing at attention before them.

"Report, Officer."

"There is no need, I'm already here." The two admirals looked over the head of the suddenly frozen deck officer, just now feeling the telltale signs of Allure washing over the command deck. Timothy was the first to respond.

"Agent Scarlet, I don't remember you saying you would be joining us today." His eyebrow quirked in curiosity, while Crassus cocked his head slowly before standing and giving her a lazy salute.

"Agent Scarlet, I'm Admiral Crassus Malfoy. Welcome to the Draco. What can we attribute to this honor?" He smiled gainly as she saluted crisply in return. She was no longer an Agent on assignment but a Free Agent, thus she no longer technically held the Emperor's authority.

"I have come to ask permission to join your fleet through the Relay." She stood before the two admirals, her grey eyes gleaming in the soft light of the nearby terminals and Holotables. Crassus raised an eyebrow slowly, looking her in the eye, showing just how strong his mental fortitude was.

"I was not aware of any orders for you to join my fleet..." He said carefully, while he technically outranked her as a Third ranked Admiral, one was prone to delicacy when dealing with an Enforcer.

"I am currently a Free Agent." Both admirals let out a breath at this, understanding of her behavior flooding them. Timothy was the first to speak.

"Ah yes, your orders were merely to oversee my fleet as it secured the system, now that it has been secured..."

"I am now free to do as I please pending new orders from the Emperor." She finished for him before turning back to Crassus expectantly.

"Honestly I don't have a issue, I am sure you can conduct yourself to a proper placement?" Crassus had enough on his plate without having to deal with a free agent among his fleet; he would merely let her do as she pleased. In fact, he hoped her presence would help put the fleet on edge, they needed to be prepared and having a rouge Veela among the men was a good way of putting their backs up.

"Of course, I shall join one of the Carrier fleets. I would enjoy being on the ground again." She nodded thoughtfully. Crassus laughed and waved his hand nonchalantly.

"Good good, I shall send you the docking codes to the nearest fleet, I am sure you will be a helpful addition to any ground force." She nodded again as he sent his the codes via his Omnitool. Once her own flashed, she gave another salute.

"I shall head out then, thank you Admiral for allowing me to come along." With that she left as quickly as she came. Both admirals letting out another breath once she was gone. Timothy smirked at Crassus.

"She's a tough nut to crack, Crassus. I look forward to hearing how this works out when we meet up next."

"Pfft, you bastard." The two admirals went back to their drinks and discussion, the Veela forgotten for the moment as plans began to be laid out.

* * *

Primary Relay System, Batarian Slave base

* * *

The holding pens beneath the main base were a dark and dank affair. They were not created for comfort nor for the health of those who were imprisoned there. Hundreds milled about aimlessly, many long since broken from the harsh labour they were forced to perform, others from the systematic torture that was used to bring them to heel. Asari mixed with Salarians, Turians sat alongside captured Quarians. None were happy with their predicaments, but none had the ability to escape or change their situations. However, not all were broken by these turns of events, some were newer, recently brought in and unbroken. One of these beings knew way. It was because the system has been recently swept clean by a Turian fleet, though why they were still locked was still a mystery to her.

Her name was Kyra, she was an ex C-Sec officer that had been captured on purpose to discover the location of this particular slave base. She had been successful, having received in her hidden implants the signal that help was on the way but she couldn't help but fume over the fact they were still locked up, that the Batarians still controlled the planet. What scared her was that beyond the signal telling her help had arrived, nothing had changed, it had been a full week and yet the slavers still patrolled the pens like nothing had happened, as if they won...

Kyra was a Turian, trained from the age of fifteen to fight and later to police and investigate. She sat in the small dark corner, watching the aimless beings milling around her, her dark reptilian eyes gazing out.

"Where are they...?"

* * *

On the Surface

* * *

"Lord Halok, all pens are secured and our scouts have retaken position at the Relay leading into the Cluster. The Turians won't be sneaking up on us again anytime soon." The Batarian slaver spoke to the Krogan Warlord tentatively. Most of the slavers in this particular band were once a part of the Batarian Hegemony, until a rogue captain of the Blood Pack had shown up with a small fleet and a few hundred Vorcha. Suddenly their Hegemony appointed commander was dead and they were told they were under new management. Some had fought back, all those died, the survivors quickly swearing loyalty to the Warlord Halok. They have yet to regret it since, their forces had tripled, an entire frontier cluster was practically under their control and they had thousands of slaves working in their mines and begin sold off, making them all rich.

The Krogan glanced over his shoulder and nodded.

"Good, have the fleets returned from the Primary Relay?" The Batarian nodded slowly.

"Yes they have but they have no word on the Turian fleet. It never reappeared after it chased after them so they returned to base." The Krogan grunted, his claws forming a fist.

"I want the fleets prepared for anything coming out of that damn Relay; it has proven to be nothing but trouble since we activated it." The Batarian nodded quickly.

"As you say, my Lord." The Krogan chuckled beneath his breath as the Batarian scampered off.

"Weak spines fools, if they hadn't broken in orbit we would have crushed that Turian fleet beneath our heels." His reptilian eyes narrowed as it read over a report from the Shadow Broker.

* * *

Palaven

* * *

Primarch Ferlind marched into the conference room. Within sat four Turian generals and their aids, all speaking hurriedly about what he had been called in for. As one of the more influential Primarchs in the Hierarchy, he was the best choice to be called in and alerted to the newest threat. This of course, made the already stiff back Turian stiffer still.

Ferlind walked past the open doors, not in the least bit worried when they closed and sealed themselves behind him.

"Now what is it that caused me to miss my youngest son's candidacy?" His metallic voiced marred with a frustrated and unamused edge. The four generals all grew silent under his gaze, before one stood up.

"Primarch, a new threat to the Hierarchy has been discovered. We must act now to contain it!" A fist slammed down from across the table as General Victus rose out of his chair.

"Damn it, forget this stupid threat! General Darius is giving us nothing but a pack of lies to cover for his own incompetence. And my children are paying for his mistake!" General Victus's mandibles flared angrily as he clawed the table.

"General stand down, we all know the sacrifices that have been made to discover this pack of pirates but we are Turians and we must understand that sacrifice is but a penance for our people." Another general drones out, his eyes flitting lazily across the table. Victus merely scoffs, his eyes narrowing. The Primarch coughs loudly, gaining the attention of the four generals.

"Settled down, both of you. Now would someone please tell me what is happening?" It was obvious his patience was quite limited in this particular venture. One of the silent generals nodded slowly, his mandibles flaring out as he let out a breath.

"After the assault on the pirates forces over a garden world, general Darius followed them through a newly discovered primary relay. When they came out, they were attacked by a Alien fleet which used an unknown technology to put themselves on equal grounds with a fleet three times its size. Then hours later another fleet as large as the task force was originally came out of FTL and proceeded to destroy all but the Generals flagship. Which was able to escape back through the relay and report to us." The Primarch nodded slowly, understanding dawning upon him why he was called in here.

"I assume these aliens have been deemed a threat?" He clinked the glass table with a measured talon.

"Yes, they represent an unknown, yet powerful technology as well as having an advanced knowledge of the Mass Relays. We have agreed that a response is needed before they can continue their attack upon our forces." All but general Victus nodded at this proclamation. Once again his fist fell upon the table.

"I disagree; we entered an Alien territory and failed to follow any first contact procedures, not to mention that they could have been on alert after running into the pirates we forced into the relay network!" Victus was clear in his use of the word 'we'. The three other generals scoffed, the more vocal showed just what they had thought up while the Primarch and Victus had been on the way.

"Their technology is astounding, powerful and could very well change the dynamics of galactic warfare. We cannot allow an obviously hostile force to run loose with this kind of technology. These pirates are of little consequence when considering what these aliens can do. We need to take control of their weapons and tech before they can bring it to bare." Victus was now convinced that the gleam in the generals' eyes was more than just intelligence, it was borderline glee. The young Turian general let out a long suffering sigh as he watched the Primarch take in these details and ask for advice from the three high ranking Turian officers.

"We need to form a task force made to deal with this threat. An invasion force as well, they surely can't be much too larger considering the size of their forces and the fact they hadn't even colonized the planet that Darius reported." The Primarch nodded slowly and brought up a small display before answering, a thoughtful flare of his mandibles showing his interest.

"This could be quite the boon to the Hierarchy. With the Asari making headway with their own mercenary groups, we have been losing favor with the Council..." Victus's eyes widen at the implications. Were his own people suddenly plotting against the Council now. He watched with mounting horror as four of the most powerful Turians in the Hierarchy made plans for war against Council laws. He could only sit, watch and hope that his children didn't get too caught up in this mess.

* * *

Newly Designated Atrium System, In Orbit over Slaver Controlled Garden World

Time of Imperial Fifth Battle Fleet Arrival

* * *

What remained of the Slaver fleet was a motley selection at best. These ships were not created to be front line battleships but rather quick, stealthy vehicles. They held no standard formation, merely hanging in high orbit, ready to meet the call of their Warlord. The majority of the ships were frigate class, small quick affairs, while only a handful of cruiser class ships led the slaver fleet.

It had been barely two days since they returned from their escape route through the discovered relay and they were still undergoing what little repairs they could do with the small space station they had hidden in orbit of the planets moon. The bulk of their force was long since destroyed by the Turian Taskforce and the beings that helmed the fleet knew they couldn't stand against a powerful force.

This thought quickly gained majority as the massive primary relay began to spin quickly as massive warships began to exit it. Dozens upon dozens of ships, as large as cruisers and dreadnoughts, appeared and instantly headed for the planet they were set to guard.

The slaver fleet didn't need orders to know that they needed to engage, the brave few of them launched from their positions and began to open fire on the fleet. The intelligent ship captains ordered their ships to retreat into FTL only to find to their mounting horror that the VIs were reporting that they were somehow stuck within a series of powerful gravity wells. The slavers had no way of knowing that in the very first group of Imperial warships two GWG Interdictor frigates had activated as soon as they came into real space. Thus trapping all but the fastest ships within the system.

The first elements of the Imperial Fifth Battle fleet launched themselves forward, Victory Class cruisers and Sith Interdictors leading the way with Turbo laser fire, grabbing hold of fleeing slaver vessels with their tractor beams and bringing them into firing range for the smaller escort frigates that accompanied them.

Hundreds of fighters were immediately shot out into the void, eager to take advantage of the ensuring chaos. And chaos it was, the Slaver fleet had no idea how to deal with this seemingly endless alien fleet that was now crashing against what few of them there was left, like the indomitable waves of an ocean. They were so few in numbers already, that this was the final straw, many just cut and ran as fast as their Eezo cores could fling them through space, hoping to escape the powerful tractor-beams that seemed to snap them out of the void.

* * *

Aboard the Draco

* * *

Admiral Crassus Malfoy watched the battle with a smug grin. His portion of the fleet just entered the system with the largest force yet of just over two hundred ships. Before that only two or three dozen ships came through at a time, so as to keep any enemy off balance. He glanced over the tactical displays and nodded as he watched what little forces that had been in the system crumbled before one of the most powerful fleets in the Empire. He turned to a comms officer.

"Have the AIs cracked their systems yet?" The officer looked over his shoulder and nodded.

"Yes, Admiral. We have full access to their navigation charts and to their Intel folders." The officer returned to look at what was popping up on his display. Crassus waited patiently, the system was theirs and he had time to spare now.

"Sir... These appear to be slavers." The silence that proceeded this was deafening. More than a few officers paled just at the thought of it. Others noticed the creaking metal of the Admirals armrests as he clamped down on them.

"What else...?" Crassus bit out. The officer nodded slowly.

"Luckily all the slaves were already transferred to the garden world, so when we destroyed their fleet no innocents were harmed. There appears to be several small cities on the planet as well as several what appear to be military bases." Crassus took a deep breath. If there was one thing in the Empire that was hated above all else, it was the act of slavery. This was mainly instilled by the views of the Emperor and his ferocious hatred for the slave trade, that has been over the generations slowly passed down and taught to everyone under his domain. There was no greater crime in the Empire than slavery and there was no greater punishment for a crime. This of course was another reason vampires were hunted down, their insistence on creating thralls out of people to use them as blood farms.

"I want the garden world secured, nothing gets out. Sadly we can't just bomb the Force out of the bloody bastards but we can go down there and free those poor souls. I want the first Carrier Fleet to come into orbit. It appears we are seeing some ground action sooner than expected."

* * *

On the Surface of the Garden World

* * *

Warlord Halok roared in fury as reports streamed in from his fleet in orbit. His fist crashed into a desk, splitting it in half.

"Warlord! The alien fleet is securing orbit, if we don't leave now we won't be able to escape!" The slaver didn't get much further as his face was caved in by a biotics enhanced punch from the furious Krogan Warlord.

"Escape?! Did you not read the report stating that these aliens somehow set up gravity wells within the system! Even if we got off planet we would be run down and killed!" His roar once more echoed throughout the room. The slavers all stood stock still as fear sent shivers down their spines. They were facing something they never even dreamed of; completely alien fleets come to conquest.

"We shall stand and we shall die fighting. For every inch of land they take from us we shall make them pay in gallons of their blood and flesh!" His beady eyes narrowed in on the terrified slavers, causing them all to stand stock still despite their panic. A grim smile formed on the massive reptilian.

"Is. That. Clear?" Nods answered him as they slowed down and began to or agile themselves.

"I want all defenses reinforced. All guards are to report to rally points and prepared to hold off invaders. We may be slavers but I will be damned if we don't kill these Rachini loving pyjacks who think they can come into our space and think they can conquer us!" There wasn't a resounding call of pride, nor any show of rallying, the slavers merely went about their duties far more frantically then before, working with the knowledge that their leader was insane and would kill them if they so much as disobeyed.

* * *

Holding Pins

* * *

Kyra was the first to notice that something was wrong. The guards had been tense for the past thirty minutes, as if something was eating at them, though she wouldn't mind if that was in fact the truth. She watched them out of the corner of her eyes, wondering why they looked so frantic, almost scared.

Then came the moment of realization that something serious was afoot when all the guards suddenly straightened and looked at each other before hitting the lock down. She watched in fear as great steel panels lowered from the ceiling, sealing them into the pins until someone opened them back up. She rushed to the bars holding them, trying to discover why they were being locked down. As the blast walls came down she watched as all the guards moved out of the holding pins, locking them inside.

All around her was chaos as the slaves trembled and wailed in fear, many believing that the slavers were going to gas them instead of use or sell them and even she was afraid of this outcome.

But a single ray of hope filled her, it had been slightly more than a week but surely the Hierarchy was finally here, they were finally saved.

* * *

First Carrier Fleet

Low Orbit over Garden World

New Designation: Black Star

* * *

Agent Scarlet pulled on the last of her armor. Normally Enforcers wore their silver robes but during battle situations they wore a more form fitting armor and cloak. Much like the ODTs and the Sith did during combat situations. Her armor was a silver grey color with orange plates and shoulder pads. The cloak was also a silver color, covered with slightly glowing runes of defense and power which would help her in combat situations.

She looked up as various flashes of light took up the barracks and she heard the footsteps of the various Sith who had occupied another of its rooms.

With a determined stride she found herself face to face with an ODT commander, his chiseled chin only highlighting the dangerous look to his eyes.

"Ma'am, I am here to escort you to your command." Scarlet raised an eyebrow.

"My command?" The ODT merely nodded and waved for her to follow.

"Yes, after hearing that she had planned on dropping with us alone, I thought it would be a better idea to give you a four person command and arrange for you to drop inside enemy territory instead of with the rest of the troops." She slowly nodded and followed as he lead her to one of the launch bays.

Great runic squares made up the launch bays, hundreds of soldiers and dozens of massive trolls made their way onto their designated rune circles. She saw that there were several smaller circles where small squads and their commanding Sith stood at the ready.

"Well here we are Agent, you orders are simple. Land and cause as much havoc as possible, locate the slave pins if you can." He gave her a small black device.

"If you discover a holding pin, use this to summon reinforcements." She nodded and placed the portpad into her dimensional pocket.

"Will do...?" She trailed off, smiling copying at the now embarrassed commander.

"Sheppard ma'am, Commander Sheppard." She blinked in shock as he walked away to join his platoon. With a shake of her head and a humorous snort she joined her squad, the four ODTs saluting her as she took her place in the center. The room grew quiet as they waited for the telltale flash of the 'Go' signal. She was ready to do her duty to the Emperor; she would be freeing slaves this day or die trying.

* * *

Codex Entries: Magic Within the Empire; Imperial Navy: Frigates;

* * *

Magic Within The Empire:

After the Defeat of the Dark Lord Vordemort and the rise of the Emperor's political power, magic was brought to a public light. At first his was met with mixed reviews by the non-magical populace but once the benefits were shown to outweigh the dangers magic was slowly but surely accepted into Human society. This would later be increased greatly when the genetic code for magic would be discovered and Gene-Therapy could be applied to new born children to increase the chance for a Magical Core. Also of note, this feat was never replicated with the genetic disposition for channeling the Force. Once magic became widespread within Humanity it made its way into everyday life in ways never envisioned by the wizards of old. Portkey and Apparition became a main stay of public and private transportation. Portpads were created as fixed runic circles that would allow anyone to set foot upon it and instantly be transported to another Portpad within its network, thus allowing visible transplanet travel beyond that of space travel. This is only one example of how magic has become everyday in the Empire.

There are three main professions for the common Witch and Wizard. The first is Runic Engineer, which is always in high demand for creating wards and runes for both civilian and military use. The second is Healer, using magic to heal all but the worst wounds. While this has not totally displaced non-magical medicine, it has become a much valued companion. The third is joining the Sith and Jedi Corps to better hone their magic for protective and offensive capabilities. While there are many more professions that a Witch and Wizard can enter, these are by far the three largest and most popular.

* * *

Imperial Navy: Frigates:

The Frigates are the smallest of the battleships used by the Infinite Fleets. They are also the most numerous, used to support and make up the bulk of a fleet. They typically escort larger Cruisers and Capital Class ships into battle, rarely entering the fight by themselves. There are three main types of Frigates. The Accumulator, The Interceptor and the Nova Assault Frigate.

The Accumulator is the main escort for the Carrier fleets. It is in itself a carrier frigate, designed for escort duty and ferrying troops into battle. They are slow and bulky with their massive triangular shape and its many missile and turbo laser batteries. This frigate is made for defensive rather than offensive capabilities and is the main escort Frigate in the fleet, capable of using a small tractor beam to ensnare smaller ships and use their loaded troops to board and capture the trapped ship.

The Interceptor is a long range missile frigate that is both fast and powerful. It is capable of launching dozens of missiles at a time while being able to use hit and run tactics that other ships are incapable of. They however have very weak armor and shielding to better allow them to boost their engines, so they are also the weakest of the Frigates and typically fly in packs to better increase their advantages.

The Nova Assault Frigate is by far the most powerful of the Frigates with its sleek bulbous hull and powerful shielding. It is the slow compared to the Interceptor but it makes up for it in its ability to cause devastation upon opposing fleets with its arrays of turbo laser batteries and mass driver cannons. It is nicknamed the tiny Valor for its similar design to the massive Valor Cruiser. These frigates typically escort the larger Cruisers and Capital Ships into battle, as well as acting as low orbit support for ground invasions.

* * *

**AN: **Well it took me awhile but that was mainly due to being overly ambitious in what I wanted to achieve in this chapter. I had planned on more action along with the actual ground invasion but decided that I would put that in the next chapter. I hope you all enjoyed this and I apologize for the delay and lack of major blood rushing action. But I am happy with how this chapter worked out and set up the next chapter to come in the following weeks. I also realize that Harry didn't appear in this chapter but fear not, he will be in the next.

For those who are reading, part of my delay was in negotiating a Beta which fell through. So if you are looking to be apart of this story then feel free to PM me! **The Emperor Wants You to Join Up Today as a Beta!**

Well with that I hope you review and leave me your thoughts, I always enjoy your feedback. You all have been amazing so far and it has been pleasure to work with you all! As always I retain the right to ignore and otherwise write this story as I wish regardless of your thoughts and opinions, but that doesn't mean I don't mind hearing them!

So until next time!

WiseSilver


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